


Decadence

by bjfic_archivist



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-07-28
Updated: 2003-10-19
Packaged: 2018-12-27 04:46:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 60,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12073803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bjfic_archivist/pseuds/bjfic_archivist
Summary: In 1920's Pittsburgh, Brian is the most powerful man in the city and Justin is a starving artist just trying to survive from one day to the next.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

Even after three years, he still had a problem believing that it was all his. It was something he had only dreamed of as a small boy. To be rich and powerful, to have the entire world at his fingertips. Everyone had always laughed at him when he told them that the city would be his one day. He was just a poor Mick kid destined to be a low paid labourer like his father. Of course, he had never believed in destiny. 

Which was why, at twenty-nine, Brian Kinney was the head of a very influential crime syndicate operating out of Pittsburgh. 

There had been nothing special or out of the ordinary about Brian’s introduction to mob life. He had started off when he was seven, making deliveries for Mr. Donnelly who owned a flower shop in the middle of the city. He may not have known much about the world at that age, but he knew that a person couldn’t be as rich as Mr. Donnelly from running a simple flower shop. 

Brian had come to learn the origin of at least some of Mr. Donnelly’s vast wealth when he went from making deliveries to collecting debts when he was sixteen. For a birthday present that year, Mr. Donnelly had given Brian his first suit. A sleek Italian suit, double-breasted with slender pinstripes and clean-cut lines. The suit became a necessity when Brian found himself in the mansion of Pittsburgh’s finest who, in some way, were all indebted to Mr. Donnelly. 

Later that same year, Brian began to run the numbers for his boss and learned just how much money and how many businesses Mr. Donnelly controlled. He was making enough money so that he was able to leave him and buy himself a downtown loft that put his childhood home to shame. 

“The shipments have arrived, Mr. Kinney,” Theodore, his current numbers man, announced as he came to join Brian and his bodyguards on the docks overlooking the Allegheny. “I’ve checked them over and everything seems in order.” 

Brian absently fingered the brim of his hat, pulling it down further over his eyes. “Good. I want everything readied for distribution. The warehouse is to be empty by dawn. Understood?” 

“Right away, sir,” Theodore nodded, clutching his briefcase to his chest and he disappeared back towards the warehouse. 

Once the mousy accountant was out of sight, Brian turned and headed in the opposite direction with his bodyguards trailing behind him. It was early fall and the weather was still relatively warm so Brian forgoed a ride in his limo and decided to walk the short distance from the docks to his penthouse suite a few blocks away. 

Like the territory and fortune Brian had inherited upon Mr. Donnelly’s death three years before, the penthouse had also belonged to the mob boss. At the reading of the will, the heads of the other families had protested loudly to a virtual unknown inheriting such a large territory. From running the numbers at sixteen, Brian had moved up in the organization rapidly and was Mr. Donnelly’s second-in-command by the time he was twenty-four. There had been some dispute arising even then, but Mr. Donnelly had put that to rest by announcing the marriage of his oldest daughter Lindsay to his young protégé. As his son-in-law, the protests had died down for the time being. The birth of their son, Gus, the following year had established the line of succession and given the aging Irishman great joy before his death fourteen months later. Lindsay had outlived her father by a mere seven months, dying as a result of complications from the stillborn birth of their second son, Joseph, who had been named after his grandfather. 

“Get back here, you little bastard!” 

There was a sound of scuffling from a nearby alley, but before its occupants made it out to the docks, Brian was flanked by his two guards, Liam and Johnny. 

A slender figure was suddenly tumbled out of the alley directly in front of them and went crashing to the ground in a heap. Three other figures appeared at the mouth of the alley, each at least twice as big as the one they were pursuing. At the sight of Brian and his two armed bodyguards, the men stopped, their baseball bats insignificant when compared to guns Liam and Johnny brandished. With only a nod from Brian, the two guards advanced on the ruffians who immediately began a retreat. 

Which left Brian to deal with the trembling mass of humanity who had yet to move from where he had fallen. 

“They’re gone now,” Brian said as he crouched down next to the slight figure at his feet. 

Ever so slowly the rumpled blonde head lifted from the wooden planks and he turned his face towards Brian who was instantly struck by the pair of startling blue eyes he found himself looking into. 

“Are you hurt?” Brian asked when the younger man still did not move. “Do you require a doctor?” 

In an instant the dirt covered urchin was on his feet and backing away from Brian. His blue eyes were wide as saucers and he was clutching a satchel as rumbled as himself protectively to his chest. Brian rose back to his full height and adjusted his long overcoat so that it fell smoothly over his suit. 

“I won’t hurt you, boy,” Brian assured him, holding his hands out at his sides so that the blonde could see that he was not armed in any way. “You got a name?” 

He glanced around nervously and wiped at his nose with the back of his right hand. “My name’s Justin.” 

“Well then, Justin, do you want to tell me why those three were so eager to use you for batting practice?” Brian asked, arching one elegant eyebrow. 

“What’s it to you?” Justin mumbled, his eyes glancing around nervously. 

This brought a smirk to Brian’s lips. “Seeing as how I just sent my men after those guys attacking you, I would think that makes it my business. So how about answering the question?” 

“No,” Justin said with a firm shake of his head. “I’d rather just go on my way if it’s all the same to you.” 

Justin turned to go, to flee into the night, but wavered before he could take a single step. Brian was at his side in an instant, holding the slighter man upright so that he wouldn’t fall into the river. 

“They’re gone now, Mr. Kinney,” Liam called from behind him. 

“What about the boy?” Johnny asked immediately after. 

Brian carefully helped Justin to straighten, one hand on his hip the other on his shoulder. He kept his eyes locked with Justin’s, his gaze softening when he felt the blonde begin to tremble once again. 

“Justin’s coming with us,” Brian announced, his voice brooking no argument. “I want Doctor Murphy to have a look at him to make sure those goons didn’t do any lasting damage to him.” 

“Don’t I have a say in this?” Justin demanded, his voice strong despite the constant shuddering of his body. 

“At the moment, no,” Brian told him, releasing his hold on Justin so that the younger man could stand under his own power. “Johnny, go get the limo, we’re going to take Justin back to the penthouse.” 

Standing on his own, Justin took a few steps away from Brian, his steps taking him closer to the edge of the docks. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I know who you are and I have enough problems without being linked to you. I happen to enjoy being alive.” 

Brian couldn’t help but smile at that. “If you know who I am then you know that I always get what I want. And right now what I want is for you to come back with me to my loft so that my doctor can make sure that you’re all right.” 

“Well I hate to break it to you, but you’re not going to get your way this time,” Justin informed him, backing up still further. 

Having kept his gaze on Justin the entire time, Brian saw the moment he stumbled and rushed forward, latching onto the blonde’s wrist and holding tight when he started to tumble back into the river. 

“Boss!” Liam shouted as he ran forward, pulling both Brian and Justin to safety. “Boss, are you all right?” 

Brian nodded his head, making sure Justin was steady before releasing his hold on the smaller man’s wrist. “I’m fine, Liam. No harm done.... Now, Justin, are you going to come willingly?” 

“You make it sound as though I have a choice,” Justin deadpanned, crossing his arms over his narrow chest. 

“Smart boy,” Brian grinned once again adjusting his coat. “Shall we?” 

Justin glared at him, but walked in the direction that Brian was indicating. Brian couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on his face as he followed after the young blonde. The boy looked like he hadn’t had a descent meal in months, skinny as a rail, and dressed in a collarless shirt that had possibly once been white and a pair of brown trousers held up by a pair of suspenders, both of which were at least two sizes too big and probably hadn’t been washed in a while. Even so there was no denying Justin’s beauty, hidden as it was under a layer of grime. 

“I am still waiting to discover why those men were after you,” Brian reminded him as the pair walked in the direction of the parked limo. “They seemed quite determined to hurt, if not kill, you.” 

“I’ll go with the killing aspect of your brilliant deduction, Mr. Kinney,” Justin smirked, his right hand moving down to the satchel that hung at his side. 

The indifference with which Justin spoke of the other mens’ intentions for him shocked Brian. It was one thing to have the heads of every other family all plotting his death, but Justin seemed completely harmless, if a little on edge. Given what had just happened to him, Brian could completely understand why he was so jumpy. Still, when he asked a question, Brian always expected an answer. 

“I think that at the very least you can tell me why it is they were after you,” Brian said casually, nodding to Johnny who stood waiting to open the back passenger door of the limo. “So that I can make sure it doesn’t happen again.” 

“It’s not your job to look after me,” Justin informed him as he climbed into the open door of the limo. 

Brian slid in gracefully after him, waiting until Johnny shut the door before responding. “What can I say, I’ve always had a weak spot for blondes.” 

That comment earned him a snort from Justin. “You’re supposed to say that to some helpless damsel in distress. Something I’m not.” 

“Well you’re not a damsel,” Brian agreed. “but from where I’m sitting you certainly look like you’re in distress.” 

“I may not be as rich as you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself,” Justin insisted, sliding as far away from Brian as possible. 

And even though he looked like the lowest of street urchins, Brian couldn’t help but believe Justin simply because simply because of the way he held himself. He had an astounding amount of confidence and bearing that Brian knew had nothing to do with being drunk. His speech wasn’t slurred and Brian couldn’t smell any alcohol on the younger man. Prohibition or not, even the poorest of people still found ways to get their hands on some liquor. 

Brian pinched the bridge of his nose, frowning slightly. “I don’t mean to insult you, Justin. It is simply a force of habit.” 

“Then stop the car and let me out,” Justin ordered, straightening his back and staring at Brian directly in the eyes. 

“No can do, Justin,” Brian said with a shake of his head. “I gave my word that I would have my doctor check you out and I never go back on my word.” 

“You did no such thing,” Justin countered, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “You mentioned it casually so there is no obligation on your part. Now let me out.” 

Glancing out the window, Brian couldn’t prevent the grin that formed on his features. “Hate you break it to you, Sunshine, but we’re here,” Brian informed him before turning his attention to Johnny who was driving the limo. “Once we’re out I want you to go to doc Murphy’s and bring him here.” 

“Sure thing, boss,” Johnny replied immediately. 

The door on Brian’s side was opened then by Liam, allowing the mob boss to climb from the vehicle. Before exiting the limo, Brian turned to Justin, his guarded look momentarily let down. 

“My doctor will come regardless,” Brian said, keeping his face turned resolutely turned away from Justin’s, staring straight ahead through the windshield. “You are under no obligation to see him. However, it is my hope that you will at least join me for dinner.” 

At the mere mention of food, Brian heard Justin’s stomach let out a noticeable rumbling sound. 

“It would be nice to have a descent meal for once,” Justin mumbled, his cheeks flushing as a result of his stomach’s mutiny. 

Brian couldn’t help but smile at that. “I only have one condition.” 

“Wha... what condition?” 

“That you make use of the large bath in my penthouse,” Brian deadpanned, allowing a teasing smirk to appear as he glanced over at Justin out of the corner of his eye. Brian the stepped out of the back of the limo and stood next to Liam who had opened the door. “Run down the street to Emmett’s and get a set of clothes that will fit our guest. Trousers, shirt, collar, tie and jacket. Oh, and shoes. Size nine from the looks of it.” 

“Nine and a half,” Justin called from inside the limo. 

“Nine and a half,” Brian amended, rolling his eyes in Liam’s direction. “Get whatever else you think he’ll need. Place an order in at Luigi’s on your way home. My usual, but doubled. And have them deliver it.” 

Then Brian stepped aside so that Justin could climb out of the limo. The blonde gave him a look that he couldn’t quite read, his satchel clutched tightly in his hand. Brian placed a hand on the small of his back, guiding the smaller man towards the entrance of the massive building that housed his penthouse. It surprised him when Justin didn’t flinch at his touch. He did hesitate, true enough, but didn’t try to pull away as Brian led them up to the elegant glass doors, one of which was being held open for them by the doorman. 

“Good evening, Mr. Kinney,” the doorman said as they passed. 

Brian nodded in return. “Evening, Matthews.” 

As soon as they stepped into the richly decorated lobby of the building, Brian heard Justin let out an awed gasp. He was tempted to comment, but instead remained silent, allowing Justin to take in the setting as he would. Brian had had much the same reaction the first time he had stepped into the building when he was sixteen and saw for the first time the truth about Mr. Donnelly’s life. In the thirteen years since that first afternoon, Brian had stopped noticing what the place looked like, knowing only that it meant he was powerful and respected. That was what was important, not the building itself. 

“I’d always wondered what this place looked like from the inside,” Justin commented as he and Brian walked in the direction of the elevators. “Though I never would have imagined that it looked like this.” 

“And what would you have imagined?” Brian found himself asking, his smile returning once again. 

Justin shrugged his shoulder absently, his expressive blue eyes still taking in the interior. “I’m not sure, but it wasn’t quite this. That much I am certain of.... I could spent hours down here sketching. The architecture, the people. It’s all so larger than life.” 

“So you’re an artist?” Brian asked, glad to be given a glimpse of Justin’s life without having to press for information. 

“More or less,” Justin smirked, his hand once again going to his satchel which Brian was beginning to suspect contained his art supplies. “Not the kind that would be featured in a gallery, though.” 

“And just what kind of artist are you?” Brian asked, a little unsure of the dark look that overcame Justin’s features at that comment. 

“The kind that sells sketches in the park for twenty cents each.” 

Brian slid his hand up Justin’s back to give his shoulder a squeeze. “Everyone has to start somewhere. Once upon a time I was a messenger boy. Now I live here. One day top museums all over the world will be vying to show your work.” 

“You’ve never even seen my work so something tells me that comment is a little uncalled for,” Justin protested, yet there was no denying the smile Brian saw tugging at the corner of his lips. 

“Call it foresight,” Brian grinned as he motioned for Justin to step into the open door of the elevator they were standing in front of. “I’ve been told that I am always a good judge of character. It’s actually a necessity in my line of work. It keeps a man alive.” 

“That’s always an added advantage,” Justin said, returning his smile. An actual smile and not a mocking one which caught Brian off guard. 

Not entirely sure how to respond, Brian merely stepped into the elevator after him and turned to face the closing doors and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket.


	2. Decadence

When he had awoken that morning, the last thing Justin had expected was to find himself riding in a elevator to the penthouse floor of the Harborview Towers. It was the last thing he would have expected for any day. Harborview Towers was for the rich of Pittsburgh, something Justin most assuredly was not. It was the life of a starving artist; barely surviving from one day to the next yet somehow always managing to find that necessary little bit in order to continue on. 

Without turning his head from the elevator door directly in front of him, Justin glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye. He had known from the first instant he had set eyes on him just who his rescuer was. A person would have to live under a rock not to know Brian Kinney on sight considering how often he was featured on the front page of the newspaper. Justin had even sold a sketch based on him once and though he would never admit to it selling that picture had saved him from the brink since at the time he’d been broke and hadn’t eaten in two days. 

His current view of the mobster who stood towering over him would undoubtedly serve as the focus of other drawings that would help his meager income. The brim of the fedora Brian was wearing cast most of his face in dim shadow which only lessened on the elegant stretch of his neck. What caught Justin’s attention the most was his strong jaw which accentuated his profile. 

“Enjoying the view?” Brian asked, smirking down at him without turning his eyes away from the front of the elevator. 

“Of a mirrored door? Hardly,” Justin said casually, staring straight ahead. 

Except that when he looked at the mirrored door of the elevator he saw Justin how different he was from Brian. Not only was there a noticeable difference in their heights, but in their general appearances were of opposite extremes. Brian was dressed as only the wealthy could afford to be dressed in a clean cut, richly made suit that fell across his body’s lean form to perfection. In sharp contrast, Justin’s clothes were ones that he’d bought at a second hand store and had never actually fit him. The only reason he had picked them in the first place was that they’d been the best quality ones at the cheapest price. 

Aware that Brian was likely scrutinizing him in much the same manner, Justin made it a point to stand straighter, his shoulders held back in a show of confidence that was only partly show. As a result of his small stature, Justin had learned very quickly that confidence was the key to staying alive. A lesson that Justin had been forced to learn very early on having been put out on the streets at the age of fifteen when he had refused an apprenticeship at his father’s accounting firm in favour furthering his art. 

In the seven years that had passed, Justin had never once regretted his decision. He had long since given up any delusions of grandeur in regards to his art, but at the very least he was living his life by his own terms. In the end, that was all that really mattered as far as he was concerned. It didn’t matter that he was rich or famous, he was alive. 

So caught up in his thoughts, Justin was nearly rocked off his feet when the elevator came to a stop at the penthouse floor. 

“We’re here,” Brian announced as the doors opened before them. When they had spread apart only wide enough to admit a single body, Brian slipped through, his greatcoat swirling behind him. 

Momentarily flustered, Justin grinned quickly at the elevator operator before following after Brian. As had been the case in the lobby, Justin’s attention was riveted by the lavish interior of the hallway he stepped into. Rich mahogany paneling lined the walls as did a number of paintings that Justin was sure were worth thousands apiece. The carpet below his feet was a deep crimson with a smaller rug of purples and greens and golds overtop that ran along the middle of the corridor leaving only a foot or so of the crimson carpet showing along the sides. 

“Are you going to stand there all night or were you planning on coming inside?” Brian inquired from off to his right. 

Justin turned his head in the direction of Brian’s voice only to see the mobster standing before another open door, a broadshouldered goon in a suit a few feet away. “I had actually planned on going for a walk along the river tonight, but seeing as how that’s not about to happen....” 

“I think your plans were ruined before I came along,” Brian said with a smirk. “If anything, I believe I ensured that you are alive to see the night through.” 

“If that is what you would like to believe,” Justin said with a roll of his eyes as he followed Brian into the penthouse. “I am capable of taking care of myself, I’ll have you know. This is not the first time I’ve had a run-in with those creeps. I have survived each of those encounters so what’s to say that this time would not have been the same?” 

“Dadda!” 

The excited shout caught Justin completely off guard. He paused halfway through the door, entranced by the image of the deadly mobster leaning over to scoop the dark-haired little boy off the ground. 

“Hey there, Sonnyboy,” Brian greeted as he pulled the tyke into a hug. “What are you still doing up?” 

Snatching the hat off of his father’s head, the boy stuck it on his own before wiggling back to the ground. “Kafrine said I could stay up an’ wait fer you,” the little boy said as he danced around the room with the sleek dark grey fedora over his eyes. 

“Oh, she did, did she?” Brian smirked, arching an eyebrow at the young blonde who stood hovering on the staircase. 

“Uh huh,” the child confirmed, stopping in the middle of his dance to glance up at Justin from under the wide brim of the hat. “Who’s dat?” 

Brian turned around to face the artist, a slight grin playing at the corners of his lips. “Gus, this is Justin. Justin, my son, Gus.” 

Bouncing over to Justin on bare feet, Gus held out his right hand to be shook. “Nice to meet ya, Jus’n.” 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Gus,” Justin said as he crouched down to Gus’ level and shook his hand. “You’re a pretty slick dancer. Did you dad teach you how to dance?” 

That got Gus giggling right away. “Dadda doesn’t dance right.” 

“Is that so?” Justin grinned, glancing up at Brian over his shoulder momentarily before turning his attention back to the little boy. “Then I hope he starts taking lessons from you.” 

“--anks, Renaldo. Look, Brian, we’ve got to-- Oh, I’m sorry. I’m interrupting.” 

“Uncle Ben!” 

Justin was on his feet and turned around in time to see Gus bound into the arms of a tall man with broad shoulders and a wide grin on his elegantly carved features. “Hey there, squirt. What are you still doing up?” 

“Waitin’ fer Dadda,” Gus told the newcomer. “An’ Jus’n.” 

Ben arched and eyebrow at that and glanced over at the blonde momentarily. “Oh really? And who’s this Jus’n?” 

“Dat Jus’n,” Gus said, pointing in Justin’s direction. “He came home wif Dadda.” 

Brian walked over to the pair and extracted his son from Ben’s arms. “Quit pumping my kid for information. Gus, I need you to take Justin upstairs and show him where the guest bathroom is.” 

“Kay!” Gus chirped happily as he wiggled out of his father’s arms and bounded in the direction of the staircase. “Come on, Jus’n. I’ll show you where da bafroom is.” 

“Katherine, make sure Gus doesn’t get distracted along the way,” Brian called after his son which earned him a sharp glare from the boy in the hat. He then looked over at Justin who had yet to move, uncertain of what, exactly, was going on. “Go get cleaned up. Doc Murphy will be here by the time your done and I’ll bring up the clothes as soon as Liam gets here with them.” 

Justin stared at Brian for a moment, still a little wary of what was going on. It was incredibly odd, unlike everything he was used to. Being inside an actual home for the first time in seven years was a bizarre enough experience without adding Brian’s behaviour into the equation. Justin was sure that he would never understand the mobster’s compulsion to look after him. Most people wouldn’t have even noticed his plight let alone done something to end it, albeit temporarily. 

“Come on, Jus’n!” Gus prompted, forcing Justin to turn away from the enigma that was Brian Kinney. 

He found Gus waiting for him at the top of the staircase and smiled apologetically at the boy. Knowing that it wasn’t wise to keep a four year old waiting, especially not one who was the son of a mob boss, Justin made his way quickly up the stairs. 

“Kafrine went to go start yer baff,” Gus announced as Justin came to stand next to him. He then reached out and patted Justin’s hips sympathetically. “Don’t wor-we, Dadda always makes me have baffs too.” 

“He does, does he?” Justin said with feigned annoyance. “He doesn’t do it a lot, does he?” 

Gus sighed dramatically, nodding his head. “Ev’ry day.” 

“You poor guy.” 

“How come yer dadda doesn’t make you have baffs all da time?” Gus asked as he led him down the hallway towards the bathroom. “Is he nicer dan mine?” 

Justin shook his head solemnly. “I don’t live with my dad anymore. But from what I can tell, you have a pretty swell dad.” 

Frowning slightly, Gus nonetheless nodded his head. “I know dat.” 

By that point they had reached the bathroom and Justin followed Gus into what looked like a Roman bath, complete with all the modern features, of course. Including hot running water which was currently filling the deep sunk tub. 

“This is the guest bath so feel free to make use of everything in here,” Katherine said to him as she retrieved a stack of fresh towels from the linen closet, a dark blue much like the subtle accents of the room’s interior. “There’s a razor in the box next to the sink there and everything else you’d need is right next to the tub. Do you know how to work the faucets? All right then, Gus and I will get out of your way.” 

“Bye, Jus’n!” Gus called as he was ushered out of the room by Katherine. 

The door shut with a resounding noise and Justin was almost surprised not to hear a lock turning. Justin stared at the closed door for a moment, still attempting to figure out just what was going on. He had gotten himself into strange situations before, but his current one was unlike any other. He was in a mobster’s home, in his guest bathroom, and before long would be joining him for dinner. Things like that didn’t happen. Especially not to him. The only mob contact he’d expected to have, if nay, was of someone put a hit out on him. In a few moments of absolute self pity, Justin had even toyed with the idea of putting a hit out on himself, but the logistics of such a plan hadn’t made sense so he’d given it up and got drunk instead. 

Not having the means to do either presently, Justin began to strip out of his filthy clothes after first setting his satchel down on the counter, away from the sink and any water. He had his shirt about halfway unbuttoned when the first signs of bruising became visible. It was a fresh bruise, still swollen, which Justin knew was a result of a blow from the bat he’d been unable to avoid. As he carefully slipped out of his shirt, several more bruises became revealed, both old and new. On his right shoulder was a newly healed scar he’d gotten from a fight a month or so back when someone had tried to stab him in the heart when he’d been sleeping. It was only pure luck that he’d rolled over just as the guy was bringing the knife down. He’d ended up with a horizontal gouge just above his collarbone rather than being stabbed in the heart. 

By the time he’d finished stripped, the tub had filled so Justin turned off the faucets, sighing in contentment as the steam caressed his hand and forearm. Justin couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had a warm bath. Probably not since he’d left home. 

As he stepped onto the ledge that the bathtub was built into, Justin caught sight of his reflection in the large mirror set into the opposite wall. He looked like a skeleton wrapped in bruised flesh. Justin could easily make out most of his ribs, his pronounced hipbones and his collarbones. If he turned around, Justin was confident that he’d be able to see each and every knob of his spinal cord. He didn’t. Instead, Justin stepped into the tub, hiding his body beneath the mounds of bubbles that floated above the surface of the water. 

Wanting to do away with any and all thoughts, Justin dipped down beneath the surface of the water where everything was silent. It was like a haze. he was aware that there were noises coming from outside the water, but could not exactly make them out. Or, if he could, his mind chose not to identify them. Justin remained submerged for as long as possible, forcing every bit of air from his body. Even then he remained down longer, testing his limits to their fullest. 

When he finally did emerge, it was to see Brian hovering in the doorway, a wrapped parcel in his hands. At first Justin felt self conscious and sunk down once again so that only his head remained visible above the tops of the bubbles. 

“Gus likes to do that,” Brian announced as he stepped into the room. “He keeps telling me he wants to be a merman and swim all over the ocean. I’m trying to placate him with a boat.” 

“How magnanimous of you,” Justin drawled, incredibly unnerved by the fact that he was naked except for a few bubbles. 

“All I want is for him to be happy,” Brian shrugged, setting the package down on the counter next to Justin’s satchel. 

Justin couldn’t help but smile at the fatherly devotion he heard in Brian’s voice. “He’s a good kid. You should be proud of him.” 

“I am,” Brian confirmed. He was silent for a moment then seemed to catch hold of himself, straightening his shoulders. “There are a clean change of clothes in there. Just leave your old ones in here when you’re finished. I’ll have someone take care of them.” 

Justin automatically began to protest, but was stopped by Brian. 

“Don’t worry about the clothes, Justin. You should have a set that fits you properly.” 

Knowing that he would have no say in the matter, Justin nodded his head. “Thank you.” 

Brian nodded his head silently then exited the bathroom, leaving Justin alone once again. It took a few moments for Justin’s nerves to settle after the dark-haired man left. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure what to make of Brian Kinney. He knew what he should have thought based on everything he’d read on the mobster over the past six years or so. Based on what he’d read, he’d always believed Brian to be emotionless. He was, after all, a cold blooded killer. At least that was what Justin had always assumed. After seeing him with Gus, and the way he himself was being treated, Justin was no longer so sure. 

Alone once again, Justin quickly went about the business of washing himself free of dirt and grime. He wasn’t entirely sure when he’d last bathed and the sensation of feeling clean was a welcomed one. However he was still incredibly nervous about having to be with Brian one on one. It was one thing when the guards had been there Oddly enough, Justin had felt safer in their presence even though he knew for a fact that they would have killed him with only a nod from Brian. Regardless of that, Justin felt more at ease with the other sets of eyes present. 

Justin knew that he would never have the opportunity to use such expensive soaps ever again and made sure to take full advantage of it. He rubbed his skin so much in his attempt to be clean that he nearly rubbed himself raw. His pale, pasty skin was an almost healthy pink by the time he finished. And even though all of his injuries were visible-- some even more so than they had been before --Justin felt a whole lot better cleaned up. 

As he dried off using one of the massive dark blue towels, Justin stared pensively at the wrapped parcel sitting innocently on the vanity. He knew well enough what was in there and knowing was what made him feel even more uncomfortable. If he accepted the clothes, it meant that he owed a debt to Brian. The mobster would be able t hold something over his head even if it was something as seemingly insignificant as a set of clothes. Justin knew that the clothes were not insignificant in his case, much as he was sure Brian did. With a better set of clothes, people might actually start to take him and his art more seriously. And, of course, if that happened, it would be yet another thing he owed to Brian. That was something Justin was not willing to do. He would not be indebted to anyone even if it meant spending the rest of his life starving on the streets. So Justin took his old clothes and folded them carefully so that they fit into his satchel along side his meager art supplies. 

Even though he knew that he would only wear the clothes for one night, Justin was still awed by the expensive material wrapped in the plain brown paper. The trousers and jacket were a dark charcoal and fit him surprisingly well considering no measurements had been taken. Likewise, the black shirt fit him almost perfectly and even though he had not worn either for six years, Justin easily remembered how to affix the collar and tie to complete the ensemble. The black leather shoes were obviously Italian made and fit Justin perfectly, unlike the size nine Brian had originally predicted. The only real fault was the fact that his hair was still wet as he exited the bathroom and slowly retraced his steps back down to the main floor of the penthouse, his bag looped across his chest.


	3. Decadence

After a great deal of protest, Brian had managed to convince Gus that it was time to go to bed. The boy hadn’t wanted to, but rather wanted to stay up and wait for Justin to finish his bath. What surprised Brian most of all about that was that Gus already seemed attached to the blonde artist after only a few minutes of contact. His son had learned early on that it wasn’t wise to get attached to people. The lesson was not one he would have wished upon the little boy, but in his life, it was inevitably a factor. No matter how hard Brian tried to shield Gus from his life, he knew that Gus was fully aware that there was no guarantee that the man guarding him when he went out with Katherine on day would be there the next. 

“So do I get to know who your little street urchin is?” Ben asked as Brian descended the stairs after having put Gus to bed. 

Brian glanced over at his best friend and right hand man, frowning slightly as he strode over to the fireplace, pretending to straighten a picture of Gus. “He’s just a kid who got a little roughed up tonight on the docks after Ted made his report. He was holding his side and I wanted Doc Murphy to check him out.” 

Through the reflection in the mirror that hung over the fireplace, Brian could see the look of confusion on Ben’s face. “Why does it matter to you? I don’t get what makes him different than anyone else on the streets.” 

“Don’t look at me for an answer,” Brian snorted, turning away to lean against the mantle. “Perhaps I’m simply a glutton for punishment. That I enjoy being talked back to.” 

“He talked back?” Ben asked incredulously. “To you? Does he not realize who you are and what you could do to him?” 

Brian started to laugh at that and made his way over to the couch, slumping down next to Ben and stealing his glass of wine. “I’m not going to do anything to him, Ben. He’s just here to clean up and have dinner with me after Doc Murphy checks him out.” 

“Are you falling for him?” 

That comment had Brian laughing out loud. “I don’t even know him, Ben, how could I be falling for him? He’s an interesting kid and I figured he could keep me amused for an evening. You’re the one who’s always telling me to stay away from the boys on Liberty. Justin’s not from Liberty. He’s just an artist trying to make a living. I would have thought you’d approve.” 

“I’m just wondering how this is going to effect Gus,” Ben spoke up, taking back his wine glass. “He already seems attached to Justin. What’s going to happen tomorrow when Justin is no longer around?” 

Brian frowned slightly, squeezing at the bridge of his nose. “That’s just something I’m going to have to deal with when it comes up. Besides, Gus only met Justin for a few minutes, he’ll be fine.” 

“If you say so, Dadda,” Ben said as he rose to his feet, handing his glass off to Brian. “I’m gonna head over to the warehouse to make sure everything’s fine. You know how Ted gets in these situations.” 

Brian dropped his head back onto the back of the couch. “Yeah, you should probably go make sure he’s not having a panic attack. Let me know how it all turns out.” 

“Goodnight, Brian. Enjoy yourself,” Ben said as he made his exit from the penthouse. 

Brian remained seated on the couch, lifting his head only long enough to down the rest of the wine in a single gulp. He continued to stare at the empty glass for a few minutes before he surged to his feet and strode into the kitchen. Even though he didn’t want to admit to it, he knew that Ben was right where Gus was concerned. 

Which meant that he needed to find a way for Justin to stick around for a little while longer than dinner. 

As he emerged from his state of the art, and rarely used, kitchen, Brian’s eyes casually fell upon one of the few paintings on his darkly painted walls. Paintings that he had never liked, but had only bought because of the artist’s name. If he could get a sample of Justin’s art then perhaps he could convince the young artist to create some paintings for his home. 

“The last time I wore a suit like this I was fifteen,” Justin called from the direction of the staircase. “And even that one was nowhere near as expensive as this one.” 

Heading out of the dining room, Brian stepped into the main area of the penthouse and gazed up at the staircase. His breath caught in his throat when he caught sight of a newly cleaned and dressed up Justin. The suit fit the younger man perfectly and the dark colour only made his pale beauty that much more ethereal. Were it not for the worn leather satchel, Brian would have been convinced that Justin was a part of his world because the blonde carried himself with an incredible amount of confidence, moreso than Brian would have suspected. 

“I’ve been told I’m an extremist,” Brian defended himself, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he watched Justin descend the stairs. “I don’t like doing anything halfway. I’m glad to see that the suit fits you.” 

“Surprisingly well. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that you already knew my measurements,” Justin countered as he stepped down the last of the stairs and slipped off the overstuffed satchel. 

“Did you nick one of my towels?” Brian asked, nodding in the direction of the bag. 

Justin momentarily tightened his grip on the strap before finally releasing it. “Actually, I put my clothes in here. Shoes too. I um... I kinda want to keep track of them so that I can change into them before I leave. So that I can give you the clothes back.” 

“You don’t need to give me the clothes back,” Brian protested, taking a half step towards Justin and stopping when he saw the blonde tense up. “Look, Justin, I know what you’re worried about and I can assure you that there will be no debt if you take the clothes. You won’t owe me anything. Think of it as a contribution to your art.” 

“I knew you were going to say that,” Justin laughed bitterly, reaching down for his bag. “This was a mistake. I should.... I’m just gonna go change back into my clothes and get out of here. Before I do anything else that will make me indebted to you.” 

As Justin turned to flee back up the stairs, Brian rushed forward to grab hold of his arm. “Slow down, kid. There’s nothing you can do that will make you indebted to me. I don’t work that way. So just calm down and wait for Doc Murphy to get here. If you’re still not liking how the night is going you’re free to leave. No questions asked.” 

Very hesitantly Justin turned back around so that he would have been facing Brian were he not staring at the ground. Justin heaved a great sigh then slowly lifted his head, his startling blue eyes trailing upwards before locking on Brian’s own eyes. 

“Do you swear that you won’t try to stop me?” Justin pressed, his voice lowering in concealed anger, teeth clenched. 

Brian took several steps backwards and dropped his hands to his side, releasing the blonde. “You have my word that you are free to go whenever you see fit. I won’t keep you here a second longer.” 

Without a word, Justin carefully set his satchel back down on the ground and stood silently with his arms crossed over his chest as though awaiting instructions. In all honesty, Brian wasn’t quite sure what to make of the blonde. He had guts, that much was certain, but at the same time, Brian could see just how uneasy and nervous he was. There were no obvious signs, but Brian could still make out Justin’s nervousness from the way he stood, muscles tense and ready to bolt at any moment. The fact that he moved so that there was a clear line between him and the door was an obvious clue. 

“Doctor Murphy is here,” Renaldo announced as he opened the door of the penthouse. 

Giving Justin one final look, Brian moved across the penthouse to greet the aging doctor who had been taking care of his medical needs since he was a runner for Mr. Donnelly. 

“I can see from the look o’ you that it’s not yourself that be needing my services tonight,” Murphy said as he shook Brian’s proffered hand. “So what seems to be the problem?” 

“Justin here had a small mishap down on the docks and his ribs need some looking after,” Brian said, nodding his head in the blonde’s direction. “I want to make sure he’s all right before go goes off to sell his masterpieces.” 

“It’s about time you started to associate yourself with a more cultured class, Brian,” Murphy chastised, patting Brian’s cheek as he passed him and made his way over to Justin. “I was beginning to worry about you. All those thugs who work for you. It’s about time you found someone of a higher class to spend your time with.” 

Brian couldn’t help but grin at the flustered look he saw coming over Justin’s face. “Oh, I’m not entirely sure about the ‘higher class’ part yet. Justin has more attitude than Johnny when he loses a hand at poker.” 

“I’ve seen the end result of that,” Doctor Murphy smirked at Brian before nodding in Justin’s direction. “Take off your shirt, my lad. Let’s see what type of adventure you’ve had this night.” 

Brian perched himself on the arm of the couch to watch as Justin slowly removed his jacket and tie. Though he did his best not to show his true emotions when Justin began to unbutton his black shirt, as soon as he caught sight to the first of the bruises that scarred Justin’s chest it became a very difficult task. That, added to his almost emaciated appearance, was something that Brian had not been expecting. Though he had never lived completely on the streets, Brian’s life when he had been at home had hardly been an easy one. Looking at Justin as he was, Brian’s mind was taken back fifteen years to when he’d still lived at home. More times than he could count, Brian had seen the exact same thing on his own chest when he looked in the mirror. He had been as scrawny and beat up at fourteen as Justin was at twenty-one. It made his stomach recoil as forgotten memories momentarily resurfaced. 

Justin, on the other hand, seemed completely detached from what was going on around him. He was staring straight ahead at one of the deep burgundy walls and not reacting except for the slight twinges of pain as Doc Murphy pressed against sore areas. 

“I am quite glad to say that you are hurt none too badly, my lad,” Murphy assured Justin, taking a half step back to reach into his ever present black bag and pulled out a small pill bottle. “However, since I reckon those newer bruises are causing you some pain, I have some pills that you can take if it gets to be too bad.” 

Slipping the shirt back on over his shoulders, Justin accepted the small, glass bottle with a nod. “Thank you, Doctor Murphy.” 

“I would also suggest that you take advantage of this night and put as much meat on your bones as possible,” the elderly doctor chided, taking Justin’s cheeks in his hands. “Do you hear me, my lad? More than anything else, what you need is to eat properly.” 

“You know that’s not always possible,” Brian chastised, not wanting to damage Justin’s pride any. “Life often has a way of interfering.” 

A statement which was more true than Brian would have liked to admit. Life had a frightening way of forcing people into situations that they would never allow if given the choice. There was a lot in his life that Brian never would have done had he not been introduced into Mr. Donnelly’s world. Brian knew, however, that there was no going back. The choices that he had made were finished with and there was no altering them. 

Throughout it all, Justin remained silent. Brian kept Justin in his line of sight the entire time as the young artist buttoned up his shirt and got himself back in order, hiding the evidence of his six years living on the streets. There would be no shaking the image from his mind. 

“I’m just going to go bring the food in from the kitchen,” Brian announced after seeing Doc Murphy to the door. “It came while you were in the bath.” 

“Um... yeah. Sure,” Justin stammered as he absently fumbled with the black tie, his eyes not meeting Brian’s. 

“Do you want some wine with dinner?” Brian called over his shoulder just before he disappeared into the kitchen. 

After gaining an assent from Justin, Brian disappeared fully into the kitchen. While Justin had been bathing, Brian had transferred all of the food from the take-out containers to the expensive china he’d inherited from his late father-in-law and placed them in the oven on a low heat to keep the food from cooling. 

“I could help if you wanted,” Justin volunteered, appearing at the kitchen door as Brian removed the last of the plates from the oven. “I’ve waited a few tables in my day. Probably more than you have.” 

“There’s nothing wrong in having a life plan at a young age,” Brian countered with a slight grin as he handed Justin a plate of linguine with a cream sauce and a loaf of garlic bread. 

“So you knew you were going to be a mobster when you were a kid?” 

Brian pursed his lips as he gathered up a few plates to bring into the living room. “And just what makes you think that I’m a mobster?” 

“You’re kidding, right?” Justin smirked over his shoulder. “There’s no one in this city who doesn’t know that you’re some big shot mob boss.” 

“I’m a business man,” Brian countered as he set his plates down on the table. “I’m no different from any other business man in Pittsburgh.” 

“And I’m a world famous artist,” Justin snorted with a roll of his eyes. 

“If you get the right exposure that could very well happen.” 

Justin’s head shot up and he took a step away from Brian, mistrust in his eyes. “You know what, this was a bad idea. You’ve obviously got some ulterior motive going on, so I’m going to leave. Now.” 

Frowning, Brian reached out to place a hand on Justin’s arm before the blonde could retreat. “I’m sorry, Justin. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I have often been told that I speak without opening my mouth. And besides, at the very least, you should take Doc Murphy’s advice and have a descent meal. It’ll do you some good.” 

Still, the artist took another step back. “No, I’m sorry. I can’t do that. Thank you for everything you’ve done, though.” 

Even though his instincts were telling him to keep Justin in the penthouse, Brian knew that if he did such a thing Justin would never trust him. So he stood silently next to the table and watched as Justin grabbed his satchel and fled the penthouse without a look back. In one way, though, Brian was glad for Justin’s hasty exit. He was still dressed in the suit which would be advantageous the following day when Justin went out to sell his art. It was a contribution that he could make to the younger man’s life without interfering directly. 

“Do you want me to have someone hold him up in the lobby?” Renaldo asked as he reached for the handle to shut the door. 

Slumping down into his usual seat, Brian shook his head. “No, that’s all right. Just let him go.” 

“Whatever you say, boss,” Renaldo mumbled as he closed the door and retook his position in the corridor. 

Brian remained seated at the ancient oak table after that, reaching out for the bottle of wine that he had carried out earlier. The glass was already there and he filled it to the brim with the twenty year old red wine. 

It was difficult for Brian to determine what exactly was bothering him. He had known that dinner with Justin would not be like any of his other nighttime encounters with Pittsburgh’s queer population. That was perhaps what had intrigued him the most about Justin. Unlike the other queers he’d picked up over the years, Justin wasn’t intimidated by his media persona. 

Downing the rest of his wine in a single gulp, Brian rose from his seat and made his way through the penthouse, turning off all the lights. 

After turning off all the lights, Brian slowly ascended the stairs to the second floor of the penthouse. A smile appeared on his face when he saw a brief sliver of light peeking out from under Gus’ bedroom door. 

“I thought you were going to bed, Sonnyboy?” Brian said with mock sternness as he opened the door. 

Gus didn’t take his eyes from the picture book opened on his lap. “Not tired, Dadda, so I reading.” 

Nodding his head, Brian crossed the room and sat down next to his son on the floor. “Oh really? And just what are you reading?” 

“Dack an’ da Beanstalk,” Gus said, pointing to the large picture of a bean plant on the center of the page. “See how Dack’s climbin’ up the plant? Up dare is a giant an’ some gold eggs an’ a chicken an’ a singing harp an’ English man puddin’.” 

Pulling the toddler up onto his lap, Brian listened intently as Gus related his own version of the Jack and the Beanstalk tale until he nodded off in the just as the giant was about to tumble down to earth.


	4. Decadence

Shivering against the cold, Justin stood huddled at the edge of the alley across the street from Harborview Towers. His stomach was growling in protest to the meal that he had just given up. A meal that would have lasted him days if the aromas had been anything to go by. Taking one final look at the building, Justin turned and headed deeper into the alley in search of a place where he could quickly change out of the suit Brian had bought for him because despite the other man’s assurances, he knew that by taking the suit he would become indebted to the mob boss. 

Finding a deep set doorway, Justin stepped inside, hanging his satchel off the doorknob. Checking one final time to ensure that no one was around, Justin began to remove the fine silk suit. He only had the jacket off when he realized that he had nowhere to put it. All around him was filth and dampness and he had no intention of soiling the garment in any way. Slipping the jacket momentarily back on, Justin reached into his satchel and removed the rolled up newspaper he’d snatched from the table of an outdoor café that morning and spread it out on the step he was perched on. 

Now with some place to set the clothes after he removed them, Justin stripped down completely, the cool air producing goosebumps on his pale skin. Ensuring one final time that the suit was protected from the ground by the newspaper, Justin began to get dressed in his own clothes. After having worn the silk, even for a short time, his own cotton clothes seemed incredibly rough in comparison. 

Justin left his shirt untucked, suspenders hanging down and his shoes laces untied as he neatly folded the expensive suit he was to have worn to dinner. Once he had it folded in a neat package, Justin looped his satchel over his head before gathering the suit in his arms and starting back towards the building. 

When he reached the mouth of the alley, Justin hesitated for a moment, unsure of what would happen when he approached the building. Gathering his courage, Justin checked first for oncoming vehicles before crossing the street to where Matthews still stood guard over the door. 

“Back so soon, young man?” Matthews inquired genially as Justin approached him. 

Justin shook his head, glancing down nervously. “No. I, um... Could you give this back to Mr. Kinney? And tell him.... Tell him thank you, but that I can’t accept this.” 

Matthew arched an eyebrow even as he accepted the folded suit from Justin. “Are you sure that you’d rather not tell him yourself?” 

“No,” Justin responded automatically with a violent shake of his head. “No, I’d rather not. Could you please just give him that message along with the suit?” 

Since that night, Justin had stayed as far away from Harborview Towers as possible. The docks, however, he could not stay away from. he sold many of his sketches on the docks and was not about to give up that source of income. What he did do was more away from the area he knew to be Brian’s territory. In the weeks that passed, Justin had saw Brian a few times, always at a distance. 

The incident that stuck out in his mind the most was when he had seen Brian and Gus together in the park. The little boy had been running around without a care in the world, his father’s hat perched once again on top of his head. Every so often Brian would stoop down as Gus rushed past him, hoisting the boy up into his arms, spinning them both around. Justin had remained hidden for several minutes, watching them. He found it almost impossible to believe that he was really seeing the infamous Brian Kinney being so open and loving. In every photograph he had ever seen of the mobster, Brian had been closed and guarded. 

Afterwards, unable to shake the image from his mind, Justin had spent the better part of an afternoon capturing the image on paper. Light was fading from the sky just as he added the last of the details. Knowing that he would never be able to sell the sketch, Justin had instead placed it carefully in the leather-bound portfolio he kept his paper in; its home until he found the courage to return to Harborview Towers and have Matthews deliver it to Brian. The mobster was the only one Justin deemed worthy of possessing the drawing. 

“You know, if you want something to eat, you can come inside,” a voice said, startling Justin out of his contemplation of the dumpster before him. 

Shaking his head, Justin fiddled absently with the strap of his satchel rather than looking at the other person. “Actually, I can’t. Don’t have the money.” 

“Well can you bus a table?” the woman questioned. 

Caught off guard, Justin turned to look at her finally. “Huh?” 

The red-haired woman let out a loud, boisterous laugh. “I asked if you could bus a table, sweetheart. Our usual boy hasn’t shown up all week and we’re looking for someone new. You up to it?” 

“This is for real?” Justin asked warily, not too sure if the middle aged woman-- a waitress from her attire --could be believed. “You’re going to give me a job just like that?” 

“Just like that,” she confirmed. 

“Why?” 

An easy grin lit up her features. “Because this place needs a new busboy and you’re here. By the way, do you have a name?” 

Still nervous, but knowing that the job was one that he desperately needed with winter on the way, he relaxed his defensive stance. “Justin.” 

“Nice to meet you, Justin. My name’s Debbie,” she said as she moved to open the side door of the building. “And this is the Liberty Diner.” 

The job was a dream come true for Justin. By the end of the week, two days before the first snowfall, Justin had a place of his own for the first time in six years. It wasn’t much, nothing more than a sparsely furnished single room, but it had running water and was his. At first, the only furniture he had was a mattress, small table and a lamp. Over the passing months, Justin did his best to make the small room his home. He would tack up various sketches to act as wallpaper on the bare walls, and buy odd pieces of eclectic furniture from second hand stores when he could spare the income. 

One of the first things that he did, however, was to send the sketch of Brian and Gus to his two models rather than take it to Harborview Towers himself. When he had been at Brian’s penthouse that one time, he had winced at the horrid art which hung on the mob mobster’s walls. It was all dead, emotionless art and, considering Gus’ vibrancy, the entirely wrong background for the young boy to grow up in. Whatever Brian’s reaction to the sketch, Justin didn’t know and after seven months he had nearly forgotten about his encounter with the soft spoken, hazel-eyed man. 

Or at least that was what Justin attempted to convince himself when he was awake. Asleep, his mind had its own will and the subject of his nocturnal lusts was inevitably the Irish mobster. A man who invoked his passions like no other so that he would awake covered in a fine sheen of sweat, his body hard and aching... and also entirely alone. 

It would have been so simple for him to find someone to share his bed at night. A shift at the diner did not go by without at least half of the patrons hitting on him. Never once had Justin made any attempt to see one of them after hours. He had no desire to. As much as he didn’t like being alone, at the same time, Justin didn’t feel the need to get involved in a relationship. 

Justin was taking advantage of some warm weather in late April to spend some time in the park sketching the people who were wandering around, living their lives. An elderly couple walking arm in arm along a path. A group of young boys playing with a golden retriever puppy. A young waitress, adjusting her coat to cover her uniform. 

A man, leaning against a tree twenty feet to his left, pulling a gun out of the pocket of his long overcoat. 

Turning his attention to where the other man was looking, Justin realized with absolute horror that his intended victims were none other than Brian and Gus. Before Justin could even consider reacting, a shot was fired. 

Everything erupted into chaos at that point. There were screams and people running every which way, screaming and shouting. Two of Brian’s appeared out of nowhere, protecting the young father and son. Before Justin was even aware of what he was doing, he had his satchel looped over his shoulder and was rushing in the direction where Brian was huddled over Gus. Instinctively, he found himself needing to protect the little boy who had commiserated with him on his bathtime problems. 

An ice cream cone lay forgotten a few feet away from where Brian and Gus were still huddled. Brian noticed his approach, his eyes meeting Justin’s with obvious relief visible in them. 

“Gus, I want you to go with Justin,” Brian said to the little boy who was clutching at him desperately. 

Sniffling against his father’s shoulder, Gus shook his head. 

Brian was looked torn. It was obvious that Brian didn’t want to be parted from his son, but that he also wanted him safe. Making the decision for him, Justin moved as close to Brian as possible, holding a hand out to Gus. Pressing a kiss to the top of the downy head, Brian transferred Gus from his arms to Justin’s. 

“I’ll keep him safe,” Justin promised. he quickly rattled off his address to Brian and then, clutching Gus to him, ran to the safety of a small copse of trees. 

Justin didn’t stop moving until he reached the other side of the park, the sound of gunfire distant. Once he was sure that it was safe, he set Gus down, crouching down so that he was level with the frightened little boy. “Are you all right, Gus?” 

Scribbling at his eyes with the back of his hands, the small boy scrubbed at his eyes as he nodded his head. “You came to my house wiff Dadda once. He made you take a baff.” 

“I know,” Justin agreed, scrunching up his face as though the thought of the luxurious bath had annoyed him. He delighted when he heard Gus let out a small laugh. “What do you say that we go to my place while we wait for your Dadda. No baths, I promise.” 

Gus contemplated it for a moment before answering, “‘Kay.” 

Standing back up, Justin reached for Gus’ hand and began to lead the kid down the block or so to his building, keeping an eye out for anyone that could possibly want to hurt Gus because of his relationship to the mobster. Before they even reached the end of the first block, Gus seemed to have put the trauma behind him and was chatting away happily. He made Justin wonder just how much Gus had been exposed to in his short life. How often he had watched on as his father was shot at. Justin didn’t doubt for one moment that Brian would do everything in his power to keep Gus safe... but there was only so much he could do. 

“.... Dadda says I can’t have a dog ‘cause der hairy. An’ they bark an’ make a big mess,” Gus pouted, gazing up at him forlornly. “But I really want a dog. A big dog to play wiff.” 

“I used to have a dog,” Justin reminisced happily. “I would take him to the park and play with him all the time when I was a kid.” 

“Wha’ ‘appened to him?” Gus inquired. “Do you still have him?” 

Justin shook his head sadly. “Sorry, kiddo. My parents kept him when I moved out. One day I want to get another one... You know, maybe if we ask your Dadda nicely he’ll let you help me pick one out.” 

Gus began bouncing up and down, tugging on Justin’s hand. “Can I really? Please, can I, Jus’n?” 

“If your dad says it’s okay you can come with me when I pick out my dog,” Justin confirmed. 

In all honesty, up until that moment Justin hadn’t even considered the possibility of replacing the dog he had been forced to give up six years ago. Now that he thought of it, the more sense it made. After his second encounter with Brian, having a dog could be beneficial for his continued existence. The question remained whether Brian would even allow him near Gus out of context of the present crisis so he was unsure as to whether or not he could keep that promise. 

Since going to his small apartment meant going up three flights of stairs, Justin gave Gus a piggyback ride up. The little boy was giggling madly and clung tightly to his shoulders. Justin was glad that Gus felt safe with him because he had no intention of letting anything happen to the boy. Not only because it he feared what Brian would do to him if anything happened to Gus while in his care, but also because he was fond of the little boy. 

Justin didn’t bother to set Gus down when they reached his floor, instead bouncing towards his door to the sounds of the tyke’s laughter. Reaching behind him to make sure that Gus was secure, Justin spun around a few times on his way towards the apartment. 

“Down down down!” Gus cried, wiggling for Justin to release him. 

Squatting down, Justin released Gus, remaining at the boy’s height as Gus darted out in front of him, a wide smile plastered on his face. “Hello again, kiddo. Enjoy the ride?” 

Gus nodded his head emphatically, biting down on his right index finger. 

“How about we go inside and draw some pictures?” Brian suggested, reaching out to scoop Gus off the ground, flinging him playfully over his shoulder. “Do you want to draw some pictures?” 

“Are you weally an artist?” Gus asked while tapping a rhythm on Justin’s back with his small hands. 

Caught off guard, Justin fumbled, nearly dropping the key to his apartment. “And just how do you know I’m an artist?” 

“‘Cause my Dadda says so,” Gus chirped happily. “He says you drawed the picture of me an’ him that’s on toppa the fireplace. Can you teach me how to draw like that ‘cause Dadda always smiles when he sees the picture you drawed.” 

Even though he hadn’t thought it possible, Justin was even more shocked by Gus’ response than his original question. Fumbling slightly, Justin managed to get the door unlocked and ushered himself and Gus into the tiny apartment. 

“Oh wow!” Gus cried as soon as Justin set him down. “I wanna live here wiff you. Dis place is so much better dan Dadda’s. ‘Cept you don’t have ‘Naldo or Johnny or Liam standin’ out side. Dey sneak me treats when Dadda isn’t watchin’.” 

Justin couldn’t but grin at Gus’ enthusiasm as he bounded around the small room, looking at all of the pictures tacked to the pale blue walls that weren’t above his head. Thankfully, Justin had placed all of the more risqué pictures higher up. Including ones of the little boy’s father that Justin had drawn after his late-night dreams of the mob boss. 

“Wanna draw now,” Gus announced after having completed his inspection of the walls. He stood in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips, staring pointedly up at the blonde. 

“And what do you want to draw?” Justin questioned as he turned to lock the door to make sure that no one came in. 

“A dog,” Gus replied instantly, following Justin as he moved towards the table where he kept his papers and charcoals. “His name’s gonna be Roger.” 

“Roger the dog,” Justin repeated, grabbing a few pages of newsprint, cheaper paper that also offered more room to draw. “So what type of dog is Roger going to be?” 

Gus waited for Justin to set up the paper on the floor and hand him a piece of charcoal before answering. “He’s gonna be a black dog. A big black dog. Do you have a wed one?” Gus asked, holding up the charcoal in front of Justin’s face. 

Returning to his desk, Justin came back with a red pastel. “What’s this for? Did you change your mind on what color Roger’s going to be?” 

“He needs a wed tongue,” Gus said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

Leaving Gus to draw his picture of Roger the dog, Justin sat down on his mattress to watch him. Within moments the little boy was singing a song that Justin had never heard before and doubted existed anywhere but inside Gus’ head. 

Despite the serene scene going on inside the apartment, Justin couldn’t help but be worried about Brian and what was going on at the park. It angered him that someone would start to shoot at Brian when Gus was there. The person had put an innocent child in danger and that infuriated Justin and was most likely what had put his defenses on alert earlier. Because as much as the mobster infuriated him, he didn’t want to see Brian harmed in any way. For Gus’ sake. 

At least that was what he tried to convince himself. 

“This is Roger,” Gus said as he sat down next to Justin, setting the roughly drawn picture down on Justin’s lap. 

Justin smiled fondly at the picture, noticing six other blobs on the paper. “What are these?” 

“Well dat one’s me,” Gus explained, pointing to the smallest one. “An’ dat’s Dadda. Liam, ‘Naldo an’ Johnny are in the back. An’ dat’s you standing next to Dadda. See how yer holdin’ hands?” 

“Yeah... I, um.... I see that,” Justin stammered, staring at the picture in shock. “That’s a big smile on your dad’s face.” 

Gus tilted his head to the side, contemplating the red semi-circle in the middle of what Justin assumed was the image of Brian’s face. “Dat’s ‘cause he’s thinking of you.”


	5. Decadence

Brian silently cursed his inability to go and to Justin’s to get Gus himself. He wanted his son back with him as soon as possible. In fact, he had nearly gone straight to the address Justin had whispered to him as soon as the shooter had been dealt with. It was only Renaldo’s cool, detached thinking that prevented him from going to his son covered in blood and barely able to stand. That in mind, Brian allowed himself to be ushered back to the penthouse to wait for Doc Murphy to take care of the bullet wound he’d received during the initial cross-fire.

The injury acted as a painful reminder as to why he shouldn’t let his temper get the better of him. Brian had been shot in the leg as he pushed his way past the guards to take aim at the man who had dared to shoot at his son. A bullet from his pistol had grazed the arm of the gunman, however moments later he had received a bullet through his calf.

“I want you to find who hired him,” Brian growled in Benvolio’s direction as the good doctor finished tending to his wound. “This slight does not go unpunished. I want to destroy the one who would dare to place my son in harm’s way and I want to do it now.”

“The man is dead, Brian. It will take time for us to discover which one of the families arranged for the hit if it was even one of them who set it up,” Benvolio protested, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

“Dead or not I want to know the name of the man who was foolish enough to hire a gunman who would attack me when I was with Gus,” Brian shouted angrily, throwing a nearby cushion at the wall since he could not rage in any other fashion at the moment. “The families all know well that Gus is off limits, a lesson they learned well when he was an infant and Charles Novotny attempted to have him kidnapped. I sent that Italian bastard into an early grave because he dared to take Gus from me. Whoever is responsible for this will bear witness to my anger a thousandfold, on that you have my word.”

“I’ll not tell you again to calm down, me lad,” Doc Murphy chided, tapping Brian’s exposed knee with the handle of his scissors. “Let Benjamin do his job. You’ve got your boy to take care of. It won’t do him no good to see you raging about like a lunatic.”

Clenching his teeth, Brian glared at the doctor. He allowed the man to get away with saying things like that because he respected the doctor. Doc Murphy had proven himself time and time again that he could not only be trustworthy, but that he could be depended on in a crisis.

Brian’s first meeting with the doctor had been over a decade before when he had been shot for the first time. The bullet had only grazed his left shoulder, but it had been serious enough to require several stitches which Doc Murphy had administered cleanly so that only the hint of a scar remained. In the time that had passed, Doc Murphy had treated each and every ailment, including those serious enough to land him in the hospital. He was also the one who had delivered both Gus and Joseph, though the latter did not survive even long enough to take his first breath. Doc Murphy himself had been the one to face Brian to tell the younger man of the death of his wife and second son.

“Now I will be expecting you to remain off you leg as much as possible for the next few days,” Doc Murphy ordered as he packed away his infamous black case. “You will also use that elegant black cane you carry with you when you’re showing off for the public for the next two weeks at the very least. And Benjamin is going to see that you abide by that, aren’t you Benjamin, my boy?”

Brian scowled when he caught sight of Ben’s knowing smirk.

“Don’t worry, Doc, I’ll make sure that Brian behaves himself,” Ben assured the doctor only to have a pillow launched in his direction.

Doc Murphy frowned in Brian’s direction, rising to his feet. “Behave yourself, my lad. I’ll come back tomorrow to check up on you.”

Soon after Doc Murphy’s departure, Brian found himself alone for the first time since Gus had come charging down the stairs just after eight in the morning. The solitude was hardly a welcomed one, though, because Brian could do nothing but fear for his son’s safety.

When gunfire had broken out, the young artist had most definitely be the last person Brian had expected to see. In any event, he was relieved to see Justin, knowing that he could trust the boy to look after his son. In the eight months since their first, and only, meeting Brian had kept tabs on Justin. He did not interfere in any way, but was quite pleased to discover that Justin soon managed to get a job and a small apartment of his own. Brian purposely refused to learn the exact location of Justin’s apartment in an attempt to keep the boy safe.

What he had never expected was to find a portrait of himself and Gus to arrive one morning with the rest of the mail. After Justin had returned the suit the same night that Brian had attempted to give it to it, he had expected to never hear from the artist again. There had been no note with the painting, but Brian had instinctively known that Justin was responsible for the portrait that hung above his mantle.

The mobster was staring at the picture that Justin had drawn of him and Gus when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching the penthouse. 

“Thank god,” Brian mumbled under his breath when he heard Gus’ infectious giggle.

The instant that the door opened, Brian struggled to his feet. He pushed away all thoughts of pain as Gus bounced through the penthouse door, chatting away happily.

“Dadda!” the little boy cried when he caught sight of his father. Gus raced across the room and launched himself into Brian’s arms, nearly knocking the man over.

Brian didn’t care in the least. He held onto Gus as tightly as he dared without seeming desperate, relieved to have his son back with him. Letting him go in the midst of the gunfire had been one of the hardest things he had ever had to do even knowing that it would be safer for Gus to get as far away from the park as possible.

Glancing over Gus’ shoulder at his son’s rescuer, Brian smiled his thanks.

“Guess what, Dadda, Jus’n says dat I can go wiff him to pick out his new dog,” Gus announced, leaning back so that he could see Brian’s face. “It’s gonna be a big dog an’ his name’s gonna be Roger. An’ Jus’n says that I can go over whenever I want to see him. We drawed pictures. I made one fer you, but the rest are still at Jus’n’s. Dat way we have to go over later an’ get them.”

“I can’t let you out of my sight for a second, can I, you little schemer?” Brian teased, bumping his forehead against Gus’ affectionately.

Gus shook his head, giggling. “Nope.”

“Well in that case, why don’t you go upstairs and get washed up. Justin’s going to be staying with us for dinner and we can’t very well have you eating with charcoal smeared all over your face,” Brian chastised fondly, the smile never once leaving his face even when he saw Gus’ expected pout. “No, you don’t have to have a bath. Just have Katherine help you wash your face and hands. We’ll call you down when it’s time for dinner. Justin and I need to have a business talk.”

“Okay.”

In a matter of seconds, Gus was out of his arms and bounding towards the staircase. Brian watched his progress, turning away only when Gus had reached the turn in the stairs and was hidden by the short wall that acted as a railing.

“So I’m staying for dinner, am I?” Justin asked with a faint smirk playing on his lips as Brian’s eyes landed on him.

“Do you want to be the one to tell Gus that you’re not staying?” Brian offered, returning the smirk.

Brian raked his fingers through his hair, willing the painful tremors shaking his limbs to stop. He didn’t want to appeared vulnerable to the artist or to anyone else. If he could just get back to the couch, he could sit down and Justin wouldn’t be any the wiser. Brian felt a small bead of sweat trail down the right side of his face and immediately wiped it away. He just had to get to the....

“Brian, are you all right?” Justin asked nervously, taking a few cautious steps in his direction.

It seemed to take an extreme amount of effort, but Brian managed to nod his head. “F-fine.”

As if daring his body to contradict his words, Brian took a step backwards, intending to return to the couch. Unfortunately, as he did so, his injured right leg gave out beneath him and his body began to crumple to the floor.

The only thing that stopped his descent was Justin.

Before Brian’s knees were even touching the ground, Justin was at his side, grabbing him around the waist to keep him from falling. Then he ducked his head under Brian’s right arm, pulling them both upright as he stood.

“Come on, let’s get you over to the couch,” Justin murmured as he slowly began to lead Brian across the room.

With Justin holding him tight against his side, Brian hobbled towards the couch, doing his best not to lean on the slight blonde. Justin may have put on some weight since their last meeting and no longer looked like a half-starved skeleton, but there was still a noticeable difference in their builds. Brian’s height alone made him a heavy burden to bear for the shorter artist.

Brian collapsed gratefully into the plush cushions, dropping his head back and letting out a shuddering sigh. He sensed, more than saw, Justin sit down on the ottoman directly in front of him.

“You really shouldn’t have done that, Brian,” Justin chided as he tenderly lifted Brian’s injured leg onto his lap.

Delicate hands slid the cuff of his pantleg up, revealing the now stained bandage covering the bullet wound on his calf. Brian said nothing in return. Instead he closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of Justin’s fingers dancing up and down the sore muscles. As he tilted his head to the side, Brian opened his eyes a crack, a slight smile curving his lips when he saw the absolute tenderness on Justin’s features as he massaged Brian’s calf. It had been a very long time since that look had been directed at him.... Even if it was only his leg that was getting the artist’s attention and care, it was more than the rest of him had been witness to in any sense other than lust.

“You are certainly looking a lot better than you did last fall,” Brian murmured, grinning slightly in Justin’s direction.

Justin grinned broadly, ducking his head down slightly. “Yeah, well I thought I’d take your doctor’s advice and start eating on a regular basis. Who’da thought it would be so effective.”

“The thing I’ve learned about the Doc is that he’s just about always right,” Brian told him, lifting his head up off the back of the couch. “I take it things are going good for you then. Have my premonitions come true and you’re a world famous artist?”

The blonde snorted in amusement as he unconsciously began to massage Brian’s bare foot. “Hardly. I’m a busboy, nothing glamorous. But it means that I have a roof over my head for the first time in six years so I can’t complain. You’re lucky that I’m not a suspicious person or I’d think that you had something to do with my sudden run of good luck.”

“And what would you do if you thought I had something to do with your sudden run of good luck?” Brian chuckled, shifting to make his body more comfortable.

“I don’t think you wanna know the answer to that,” Justin smirked, his nose scrunching up in amusement.

“Oh I don’t?” Brian countered, arching a single eyebrow.

“No,” Justin confirmed. “‘Cause for one thing, I wouldn’t be this nice. I have a nasty temper and I’m not afraid to use it on you.”

Brian couldn’t help but laugh at the completely blasé manner that Justin had said the last part. Shaking his head slightly, Brian nudged Justin’s shin with his other foot. “If I am not allowed to help without you knowing it, am I allowed to help with your permission?”

Justin fingers quit their gentle massage as Justin considered Brian’s words. “It depends on what you have in mind.”

“I was hoping that I could talk you into making a larger version of the picture you made of Gus and I last fall,” Brian said as casually as he could manage while Justin once again took up rubbing his foot. “It’s far better than any professional portrait I have ever seen and I would be honoured if you would consider painting an official one based on the other one.”

“C-Come again?” Justin stammered, staring at Brian in disbelief.

“I would like you to recreate the sketch of Gus and I in a full sized portrait,” Brian said slowly, his smile only growing at the blonde’s pure shock.

Justin looked everywhere but at Brian, focusing on nothing in particular. “You can’t be serious, Brian. You could have... you could have any artist from anywhere in the country do a portrait of you and Gus. I’m no one.”

“Now see that is where you are wrong, Justin. You have a great deal of talent,” Brian countered, removing his foot from Justin lax grip so that he could sit up straighter. Carefully setting his foot on the ground, Brian leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, staring intently at the blonde. “Back when Mr. Donnelly was still alive he came to the decision that I needed to get some culture. I was probably a year or two younger than you at the time and running the numbers for him so I couldn’t figure out why he cared. But he was my mentor and I would do anything that he asked including going to the opera, the theatre and museums. From the time that I was eighteen until Mr. Donnelly died we would go to the museum whenever they had a new showcase and to New York at least every other month so I have seen quite a bit of art in my time and I can say with absolute certainty that your art belongs in any of those museums.”

A heavy silence reigned in the penthouse living room. While he had been speaking, Justin had turned his gaze back towards Brian, his intense blue eyes staring directly into Brian’s hazel ones. He maintained eye contact with the blonde even during the silence, tentatively reaching out to cup the side of Justin’s face in his right hand.

“This is supposed to be the point where Gus comes tearing down the stairs or someone comes in through the front door,” Justin murmured, surprising Brian by leaning into his touch. “Something to break the tension.”

“I’m sure there will be an interruption soon enough,” Brian said in mock seriousness. “There nearly always is. However, I still require an answer for my request. Will you do the portrait?”

“I have never done anything like this before,” Justin protested, pursing his lips slightly. “In all my life I’ve never done anything larger than the sketch you have. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

“Well I have every faith that you will figure it out.”

The silence returned again and Brian noticed that the tension was considerably less. It faded completely when Justin rolled his eyes comically.

“For the life of me I do not understand you,” Justin protested, a slight grin curving up the corners of his lips. “Anyone else would have just left me on the harbor all those months ago.”

“And anyone else would have simply run away when the man started shooting this afternoon,” Brian countered in all seriousness. “There is no telling what would have become to Gus had you not risked your life to get him to safety. For that you have my eternal gratitude.”

“So you want me to do the portrait because you think I saved your son’s life,” Justin said solemnly, sliding back on the ottoman so that he could spin around and rise to his feet.

Brian groaned, slumping back into the cushions and covering his face with his hands. “Are you always this prone to jumping to conclusions?”

“I was not aware that I was jumping to a conclusions. It is all quite obvious from my perspective,” Justin hissed from somewhere close to the fireplace.

Though he knew that he would undoubtedly regret the action later, Brian forced himself to his feet once again and staggered in the direction of the pacing artist. Justin came up short when he noticed Brian standing there, allowing the mob boss to latch onto his arm in order to ensure that he remained stable.

Through only a small bit of coaxing on his part, Brian was able to get Justin to turn to him completely. He placed both of his hands on Justin’s shoulders, keeping himself steady as he shifted his weight almost completely off of his right leg. In an almost shuffling motion, Brian moved himself even closer to Justin, close enough so that he was able to lean his forehead against the blonde’s.

“I want you to do the portrait because your talent amazes me, Justin,” Brian stated emphatically, his gaze never wavering from the artist’s. “If I didn’t think that it wouldn’t be above my fireplace when I had a two thousand dollar one there before.”

Justin squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a loud breath. “You are the most infuriating man that I have ever met. I should be refusing and rushing far away from here.....” Then he opened his eyes, meeting Brian’s gaze once again. “For some reason, however, I don’t seem to be going anywhere.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Brian murmured, his voice very low as he attempted to move still closer with as much grace as possible.

Without speaking, Justin lifted his hands and rested them on Brian’s hips, moving forward so that Brian was forced to allow his hands to slide down Justin’s arms as their chests came into contact.

“Please don’t run away again,” Brian said quietly, his lips moving only a hairsbreadth away from Justin’s as he spoke. “I don’t want to wait another seven months to see you again.”

“I don’t think I could even if I wanted to,’ Justin whispered.

“Good,” Brian mumbled, allowing his lips to touched Justin’s, initiating a kiss that he had been craving for the past seven months.


	6. Decadence

Justin took a step back, gasping for much needed air. He hadn’t meant for anything to happen between him and Brian. All that he had wanted to do was bring Gus back home to his father and return to his own life. Of course, that would have been denying what he really wanted which was the very kiss which had so recently stolen his breath.

“Justin, did you not want....” Brian frowned, snaking his fingers into his hair.

Shaking his head, Justin offered him a reassuring smile. “No, I wanted it. I was a very willing participant. I just....”

“.... Yeah,” Brian murmured, a slight smile curving his lips.

Not giving the awkwardness a chance to reappear, Justin closed the distance between himself and Brian, reaching a hand up to cup his cheek. He was about to lean in to initiate the second kiss when he felt Brian waver. All at once he was reminded of the fact that Brian had a bullet hole in his leg. Silently cursing himself, Justin quickly jumped away from Brian.

“You need to sit down. Now,” Justin instructed as he moved to wind an arm around Brian’s waist. Brian started to protest, but a stern look from Justin silenced him immediately. “You shouldn’t have gotten up, Brian. In case you failed to notice, there’s a hole in your leg.”

“I’m fine,” Brian protested weakly, but nonetheless allowed Justin to lead him back towards the couch.

Justin smirked slightly at that, shaking his head. “I may not be educated, but I am not a fool. You were shot in the leg and should be sitting down as much as possible and not chasing after me during one of my dramatic episodes.”

“It was worth it,” Brian grinned, settling gratefully onto the couch. He allowed Justin to prop his foot up on the ottoman, but when the blonde attempted to remain there, Brian reached a hand towards him. “You won’t hurt me if you sit next to me.”

Hesitating for only a moment, Justin linked his fingers through Brian’s, allowing himself to be pulled onto the couch. It wasn’t much of a sacrifice because he was quite enjoying being close to Brian after seven months of fantasizing about the prospect.

“Are you sure that you’re up to putting up with me for dinner tonight?” Justin asked nervously, not really wanting to go, but at the same time knowing that Brian needed to rest after what had happened.

“If I didn’t think that I wasn’t up to it, I wouldn’t have asked you to stay,” Brian countered, raising a hand to stroke a finger along Justin’s jaw.

That brought an instant smile to Justin’s face, leaning into Brian’s touch. “If I remember correctly, you told me that I was staying here for dinner. At no point did my opinion seem to be necessary.”

Brian offered him an apologetic grin. “All right. Fine. Would you like to stay for dinner, Justin?”

“I would like very much to stay for dinner,” Justin murmured, leaning in to brush a kiss against the corner of Brian’s jaw.

“Dadda! Can I come down yet?” Gus shouted from somewhere upstairs. “I wanna play wif Jus’n!”

Justin couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that. He pulled his head away from its comfortable position on Brian’s shoulder. “Where was he when I was trying to do the whole resisting thing?”

Brian groaned and dropped his head against the back of the couch. “There is no way that he inherited his sense of timing from me.” Then louder, “Yeah, Gus, you can come down! But don’t run down the stairs! I don’t want you falling again!”

There was a series of loud thumps as Gus descended the stairs followed by bare feet scampering across the living room floor. “Are we goin’ to Justin’s now?”

Tilting his head back beside Brian’s, Justin grinned at Gus who was standing just behind the couch.

“Did you wash your hands, Sonnyboy?” Brian asked his son.

“No,” Gus pouted, rubbing at his nose. “I wanna pway wiff Justin.”

“Go wash your hands,” Brian said sternly, his voice brooking no argument.

Pouting, Gus made a good show of stomping across the living room and back up the stairs. “I gonna pway wif Justin when I come back down!”

“Should I run home and get my doppleganger so that you and Gus can share?” Justin teased once the little boy was out of sight.

Brian chuckled quietly and turned back towards Justin. “Don’t tempt me, Sunshine. Besides, Gus needs to work on his speech therapy with Katherine after dinner so he’ll have to wait to play with you.”

“He’s a real good kid, Brian, you should be proud of him,” Justin murmured, reaching up to stroke Brian’s cheek. “And I know the whole speech thing will sort itself out.”

“Katherine’s been doing good work with him,” Brian confirmed. “Gus just tends to forget the things she’s taught him when he’s worked up.”

“My hands are washed now, Dadda!” Gus called from the top of the stairs.

“Okay, then you can come back down,” Brian called over his shoulder. “No running!”

When Gus reappeared in the living room, he made a beeline for the couch, crawling in between Brian and Justin. As the little boy began to narrate the events of the day to his father, Justin noticed the almost subtle way that Brian would correct Gus’ failed pronunciations in a way that barely interrupted the excited monologue.

“Does this mean Justin’s gonna be ‘round a lot more than before?” Gus asked, dropping back so that he laid across his father’s lap.

Brian glanced over at Justin with an arched eyebrow. “I don’t now, Sonnyboy, you’re going to have to ask Justin.”

A silent arching of Gus’ eyebrow served to let Justin know that he was meant to answer the question.

“Well if you’re going to help me take care of Roger I guess it means we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other,” Justin assured the kid, deftly snatching the fedora from Gus’ lax grip and placed it on his own head. “What do you think?”

“You look funny!” Gus giggled, lifting his right foot to kick at the brim of the hat. “Dat’s Dadda’s hat.”

“Then how about this?” Justin asked, leaning over and plopping the hat down on Brian’s head a little askew. “Better?”

Craning his head back as far as possible, Gus looked up at Brian. “Yep. That’s where it’s s’pose to be. Dadda, when’s dinner?”

Brian leaned over and brushed a kiss against Gus’ forehead. “Why don’t you go in and see if Emily has dinner ready so that we can eat.”

In a flash, Gus was off the couch and bolting around it towards the kitchen.

“It’s a wonder that you have any energy left living with that little whirlwind,” Justin said quietly, flicking the brim of the hat.

“Oh you’d be surprised just how much energy I have,” Brian murmured, leaning his head in towards Justin’s.

“Dadda, Justin, dinner’s ready!” Gus shouted from the kitchen.

With an exaggerated sigh, Brian flopped back much to Justin’s amusement. It was enjoyable watching the oh so slick mobster try to hit on him with his son constantly interrupting them. Justin found it incredibly endearing and made Brian appear even more sexy if such a thing was possible.

Dinner was an equally interesting affair, Gus talking non-stop while attempting to eat his lasanga. What the little boy wasn’t aware of, however, was his father’s activities below the table. Sitting to Brian’s left, Justin was in the perfect position for the mobster’s bare foot to run up and down his calf. Justin was doing his absolute best not to react as Gus chattered on seemingly unaware of what his father was doing.

“What’s this, Dadda?” Gus asked, holding a speared mushroom towards the head of the table where Brian sat.

“It’s a mushroom and yes you have to eat it,” Brian said, answering the second, unasked question. “They’re good for you.”

“But dey taste icky,” Gus pouted as he shoved the mushroom into his mouth.

While Brian was distracted with Gus, Justin lifted his own left foot and crossed it over his knee to run along the inside of the mobster’s thigh. He delighted when he saw the slight flush creep up from the collar of Brian’s shirt. The flush grew as Justin managed to slide his foot up a few more inches, coming close to Brian’s groin. From that point on it was Justin who had the advantage since he could reach areas that Brian was unable to. Of course, the fact that Brian’s feet were bare kept the advantage very slim because he could slip his toes up under the cuff of Justin’s pants and taunt him that way.

By the time that Gus was sent upstairs for his speech therapy, Justin and Brian had themselves thoroughly bothered and on edge. Finishing their wine, the two waited for Gus to go upstairs for the prescribed hour with an extra half tacked on for his bath.

However, it had been a long time since Justin had last been with anyone and once the distraction that was Gus had disappeared he was no longer quite so sure of himself. That he wanted Brian was not in question. Justin had known that he wanted Brian from the first instant he had set eyes on the mobster in the flesh. It was actually taking what he wanted that was in question.

“Do you think you could help me upstairs before you go?” Brian asked with a very blatant curving of his lips.

Justin returned the smile as he rose from his seat and moved to stand in front of Brian who was using his left foot to slide his chair away from the table. Crossing his arms over his chest, Justin leaned his hip against the side of the expensive mahogany table. “There’s a railing going all the way up the stairs, I’m sure you can make it.”

“You in a hurry or something?” Brian chuckled, arching an eyebrow.

“No. No hurry,” Justin said with a shake of his head. Uncrossing his arms, he reached down and placed a hand on Brian’s arm and offered a slight smile. “So were you planning on sitting here all night or did you want my help?”

Even though he seemed reluctant, Brian allowed Justin to help him to his feet and towards the staircase. It wasn’t hard for Justin to figure out that Brian would have difficulty appearing vulnerable. In his line of work he couldn’t afford it.

“Okay, now I know where the bathroom us, but you’re going to have to help me find your room,” Justin said casually as they hobbled up the last step.

Brian made a noise somewhere between a moan and a chuckle and placed a hand on the wall to help support himself. “Turn left at the end of the hall.”

Justin waited for Brian to regain his equilibrium before continuing forward. “Just how big is this place?”

“It doesn’t turn onto a hallway, just a small entranceway,” Brian assured him. “More dramatic in nature, at least that was what my architect told me.”

Rounding the corner to the impressive carved doorway, Justin couldn’t help but nod in agreement. The walls of the small corridor that led to Brian’s room had been painted a dark crimson which set off the dark wood of the door. Without lights on, the room beyond was equally dark. An effect which lasted only until Brian turned on the lightswitch only moments after entering.

The first thing that Justin’s eyes latched onto once the room was illuminated was the massive mahogany four poster bed situated in the very center of it.

“It’s a wonder that you don’t get lost in there each night,” Justin commented as he and Brian crossed the richly carpeted floor towards the bed.

“It has been known to happen on occasion,” Brian said quietly, his voice slightly strained from exertion.

Justin frowned slightly, easing Brian down onto the edge of the bed. It was obvious why Brian had invited him up to his room, but Justin was unsure whether he could live up to his intentions at the moment. He could barely walk and while sex did not necessarily require the use of one’s legs, the bullet wound would undoubtedly cause Brian vast amounts of pain if they moved too much.

“Look, I think I’m just gonna go,” Justin said, scrubbing his fingers through his hair. “I still have to do the portrait so it’s not like I’m going to disappear or anything....”

Before Justin could back away, Brian reached out and grabbed hold of his hand. “Things really weren’t supposed to get so awkward. Hell, I can’t even remember the last time things got so awkward.”

“Well I can’t even remember the last time I was the seducer or the seducee so that probably has something to do with it,” Justin grinned, feeling some of the tension bleed away.

Laughing loudly, Brian fell backwards onto the feather stuffed mattress, pulling Justin down with him. “Then I suggest we forget all about seduction and skip right to the main event.”

Being cautious of Brian’s injured leg, Justin straddled his waist, allowing Brian to pull him down into an intense kiss. With Brian’s leg dangling down over the edge of the bed, Justin felt more at ease as he slid his hands between their bodies to finger the buttons of Brian’s expensive shirt. Brian’s hands were equally busy, struggling to pull Justin’s shirttails from the top of his trousers. As soon as he accomplished his task, Brian spread his palms flat against Justin’s back which caused the blonde to shiver.

“You’re so warm,” Brian moaned almost ironically against Justin’s lips.

Before long, both men were free of their shirts and were lying with their chest pressed together, Brian’s hands moving idly over Justin’s sides while his own hands traced idle patterns around his shoulders and throat. The first thing that Justin noticed was that Brian’s skin was so wonderfully smooth, almost like the silk shirts he wore. 

For the moment, neither one made any ventures to remove their pants. They simply laid there, softly kissing and exploring one another’s skin with light fingertips. Their movements were very lazy, very comfortable.... Until Justin became very aware of something pressing against his inner thigh.

“Sit up,” Brian murmured when Justin began unconsciously rubbing himself against that hardness.

Pressing one last kiss to Brian’s lips, Justin did as asked, his hands never leaving Brian’s chest. He continued to caress Brian’s smooth torso while the mobster began fumbling with the zipper on his pants. Justin gasped as Brian reached inside and wrapped his long fingers around his cock. As Brian began to stroke the hard length, Justin threw his head back, undulating his hips against Brian’s groin.

Not wanting to be left out, Justin slid back far enough so that he could reach the opening of Brian’s trousers. He felt Brian shudder under him as he slid his index finger along the large vein on the underside of the hard cock that he pulled from Brian’s pants. Moving back even further, nearly to the end of the bed, Justin bent himself nearly double so that he could wrap his lips around the head of Brian’s dick. It had been a long time since he had done it and judging by Brian’s appreciative moans he was doing at least a descent job. The moans soon turned into mindless chatter that caused Justin to chuckle and Brian to moan even louder.

Glancing up at Brian from under his bangs, Justin memorized the moment in his mind. His arched back, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly and his eyes squeezed shut tight. It was a beautiful image that became even more exquisite when Brian came moments later.

While Brian struggled to catch his breath, Justin crawled up his body, kissing a trail up his torso as he went. When he finally reached Brian’s lips, the other man heaved himself up onto his elbows, capturing Justin’s lips in an intense kiss that stole the blonde’s breath away.

“You are certainly full of surprises,” Brian mumbled against Justin’s lips before flopping down onto his back once again.

Justin grinned deviously as he stretched himself out atop of Brian. “I try.”


	7. Decadence

The warm body curled around his own was becoming incredibly familiar to Brian. A body that he was coming to know as well as he did his own. Said body seemed to still be sleeping quite peacefully so Brian rolled over, pinning the body beneath his own. When he received no response, Brian began to kiss his way down the pale torso, paying special attention to the rosy nipples which he kissed and suckled to hardness. Even though it had yet to be given any attention, there was another part of the blonde’s anatomy that was becoming hard.

“Bri....” Justin moaned, arching his body towards Brian. “You just interrupted a very nice dream I was having.”

“That so?” Brian grinned against his lover’s stomach. “Dare I ask what this dream was about?”

Justin reached down to smooth his fingers through the dark strands of hair that was brushing against his skin. “Well it involved the two of us. Naked. And some crashing waves.”

Lifting his head so that his chin was resting on Justin’s stomach as he stared up at the younger man, Brian arched an eyebrow. “That sounds very promising. And let me guess, my little artist, these crashing waves were somewhere in Italy. Or is it Greece?”

“Destination unknown,” Justin chuckled, gripping Brian’s upper arms as he attempted to drag the taller man up his body. “The main thing I was focusing on was the two of us. We match very well. Aesthetically. You’re very tall and slender, tan... darker than me. On the other hand, I’m... well, none of that.”

“Are you just fishing for compliments or are you honestly that clueless?” Brian asked as he crawled up Justin’s body. He propped himself up on one elbow, his other hand absently playing with the blonde locks.

The fact that Justin was looking everywhere but at him told Brian all that he needed to know. While there was still a lot of Justin’s past that he knew nothing about, he was fully aware of the effect being kicked out of his home because of his art had on Justin. In one moment the artist found his entire world yanked out from under him because he was seen to be unworthy of it.

“I just... I just sometimes can’t figure out why you’ve kept me around as long as you have,” Justin mumbled, his eyes focused on the wall opposite the foot of the bed.

“You’re making yourself sound like that mutt you and my son adopted,” Brian said, tilting Justin’s face towards his so that the blonde was forced to meet his eyes. “Do you really not know how important you are to me? How much more alive I feel now that you’re in my life? Do you honestly believe that I would let someone who didn’t matter to me cover his walls with naked pictures of me? Or that I’d pose for some of those pictures? Trusting you with Gus. Gus has been the most important person in my life since the moment he was born.... Now there are two people who I would be willing to die for.”

To Brian’s surprise, Justin’s frown didn’t dissipate. In fact, it only grew, his brows furrowing. Brian had meant to reassure the younger man of the place he held in his life. It wasn’t as though the words had come from nowhere. In the three months they had been seeing each other on a regular basis, Brian had made no secret of his growing affection for the blonde. Having spent his childhood in a house where love and affection was a non-existent commodity, Brian craved it a great deal. And though he would never admit to it, Brian could tell from Justin’s actions that his lover did as well.

Outside of the penthouse, however, Brian adopted a completely different persona. The one that he had shown to the world for almost his entire life. Away from his hold, Brian was cold and unfeeling. It was one of the reasons he had survived as long as he had. From the beginning Justin had noticed many of his own defensive traits in Justin and was doing all that he could to remedy the blonde of them.

“Brian....” Justin started, his voice trailing off as he seemed at a loss for words. He stared up at Brian, his fingers tracing absent patterns over the other man’s hip.

“Do you trust me?” Brian asked his younger lover, staring intently at his face.

“You know I do,” Justin answered immediately, his eyes momentarily going wide. “Sure, I may have wanted nothing to do with you in the beginning, but considering the less than flattering profile you have in the media you can’t really blame me. But I got over that a long time ago. If I really wanted to I could have disappeared again, but I didn’t. Instead....”

His fingers still moving through Justin’s hair, Brian smiled slightly. “Instead?”

Biting his lower lip and let out a deep breath through his nose before meeting Brian’s eyes once again. “Instead I did the one thing I swore I’d never do and fall in love.”

“Well if it makes you feel any better,” Brian murmured as he smoothed his thumb across Justin’s cheek. “I did the exact same thing.”

It was hesitant, but there was no doubting the smile that appeared on Justin’s face. Leaning over, Brian covered Justin’s smile with his own, lightly sucking the blonde’s abused lower lip into his mouth. 

Knowing that he was still feeling a little out of sorts, Brian allowed Justin to take the lead and was not surprised to find himself flipped over onto his back. It was a habit of Justin’s that be had become used to quite a long time ago. The blonde had major control issues which was perfectly understandable given his past. Since they were both aware that Brian was the one who had to be in control a lot of the time when they went out together or with Gus, Brian was more than willing to bow to Justin’s whims in the bedroom. Especially when it meant he got to watch Justin writhing again him, looking so wonderfully wanton. And so beautiful. His body glowed as the early morning sun reflected off the fine sheen of perspiration that covered the lithe body above him.

Brian would have loved to have a picture of Justin in moments like that, but was unwilling to allow any artist the chance to capture an image that was strictly his own. If he had been able to draw anything more advanced than stick people, Brian would have attempted to make himself a sketch because he knew without a doubt that Justin was far too self conscious to let him take a picture.

“You don’t have to work tonight, do you?” Brian mumbled against the side of Justin’s head as the two lay wrapped together in a sweaty heap later on.

Justin sluggishly lifted so that he could gaze down at Brian. “I think that depends on what you’ve got planned, Mister Mobster.”

“Well I was hoping that I could talk you into letting me take you out to dinner at the No Name and show you off,” Brian grinned, tilting his head back so that his nose brushed against the longer strands of Justin’s bangs.

“Are you trying to turn me into your moll or something?” Justin snickered, arching an eyebrow.

Brian lightly scratched his nails up and down Justin’s spine and arched an eyebrow of his own. “Somehow I don’t think you’d qualify for a moll. For one thing you have a cock so that pretty much takes you out of the running ‘cause molls tend to be girls.”

“Well what are the boyfriends classified as?” Justin asked, snuggling deeper into Brian’s embrace.

“I don’t think anyone’s ever had to worry about that before so I think you can call yourself whatever you want,” Brian informed him, his fingers following Justin’s spine all the way down, trailing down between his buttocks.

“How about I just stay with boyfriend....” Justin trailed off, his bottom lip once again finding its way between his teeth. “Am I your boyfriend?”

“We haven’t been to a Justice of the Peace but we have been seeing each other for three months so I like to think of you as my boyfriend,” Brian said, moving his hands back up Justin’s torso, his fingers lightly dancing over Justin’s ribcage. “Why? What do you think you are to me?”

Justin rolled off of Brian and sat up so that his back was to the older man. From his posture, Brian could tell that he was hugging his knees to his chest. So Brian sat up as well, sitting next to Justin but not touching him. At least not until Justin leaned against him. Then Brian tentatively wrapped an arm around the blonde’s shoulders, relief flooding him when Justin seemed to mold himself to his side.

“The last time I was in a relationship, it ended badly,” Justin said quietly a few minutes later. “He was a gangster wanna-be who was in it for the money... or at least I thought. Until the morning I woke up to find a gun in my face. Said that he had to prove that he had no qualms about killing anyone and decided that killing his boyfriend could act as proof. We were, um... we living in this warehouse. It was old, run down and no one around. So he... Jack, he tied me... he tied me to this beam and.... It hurt so much. I thought I was gonna die, but then.... I don’t know what happened. I ended up at a hospital wishing that I had died ‘cause I hurt all over. After that I promised to never fall in love again. Then one night you dragged me back here....”

It was taking everything Brian had not to react outwardly. He wanted to demand that Justin tell him the name of his old boyfriend so that he could personally hunt the animal down and kill the thug himself. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the knowledge that Justin was the one who needed him then. Needed him to prove that he wasn’t like the one who’d hurt him.

“You know I’d never do anything like that to you, don’t you?” Brian whispered, turning to nuzzle the side of Justin’s head. “Not just because I don’t have a reason to prove myself to anyone, but because there is no way I would ever be physically able to hurt you. I’d cut off my own arm first.”

Justin sniffed loudly and leaned in closer to Brian, crawling on top of him as the mob boss laid back down on the bed. “I know that you’re not like him,” he mumbled against Brian’s chest. “If I thought for one second that you were I never woulda come back that second time.... Or any other time. I’m safe with you. It’s something I count on.”

“And you always will be,” Brian promised before brushing a kiss against the top of Justin’s head. “But you know, you still haven’t answered my question. Do you want to go out to dinner at the No Name with me tonight?”

“I don’t have anything to wear,” Justin protested, crossing his arms over Brian’s chest and leaning his chin against his crossed wrists. “I’ve still got the whole starving artist thing going on which means I don’t have any clothes nice enough to wear to one of your fancy restaurants.”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to remedy that,” Brian murmured, lifting his knees so that Justin’s body slid forward slightly. Close enough for Brian to slip his hand behind the blonde’s head and pull in him for a kiss.

“Why do I not like the sound of that?” Justin grinned against Brian’s lips.

“Because you’re a very suspicious person,” Brian grinned back, relieved to see the sadness leave Justin. “But I can promise you that nothing bad will happen. You may even end up enjoying yourself.”

“That so?” Justin murmured, reaching a hand up to smooth his fingers through Brian’s hair.

“Yeah, that is,” Brian sighed, reveling in the closeness between him and Justin. He had never thought that it was possible to enjoy being with one person so much. Especially not the way he craved being with Justin. It wasn’t just the sex-- which Brian would eagerly admit that it was the best he’d ever had --but simply being in the same room as the blonde. He could be exactly who he wanted to around Justin and not have to put any masks on.

As he had promised, Brian made their shopping venture to Emmett’s as enjoyable as possible. He took great pleasure in the simple act of tying Justin’s tie, a mundane act he performed himself daily.

“I like you in the dark blue,” Brian said softly as he folded Justin’s collar down neatly. “It makes your eyes look all the more vivid and your hair brighter. I should buy you a whole wardrobe of the colour.”

Justin smirked up at him, jerking his head slightly to get his bangs out of his face. “Somehow I think that would become incredibly boring after a while. Besides, I enjoy colours. It’s part of being an artist.”

Brian draped his arms across Justin’s shoulders, leaning forward so that their foreheads were touching. “Is there anyway I can insist that I get to see you in dark blue every once in a while?”

“I’m sure you’ll come up with something,” Justin murmured, nuzzling his nose against Brian’s as he taunted the mobster by keeping his lips just out of reach.

In any event, Brian did get Justin to wear the dark blue suit out that night to dinner. Despite the three month duration of their relationship it was the first time the two had gone out to dinner anywhere more fancy than the diner where Justin worked. They had spent many a night drinking and dancing at one of the speakeasies that Brian ran, one that catered specifically to queers.

“Good evening, Mr. Kinney,” the hostess greeted as he and Justin crossed the foyer to the entrance of the dining area. “Everything is all set to your specifications.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Melinda,” Brian grinned as he helped Justin off with his longcoat. He handed it along with his own coat and hat to the girl and waited for her to hand them to the coat room attendant before following her into the dining area.

Knowing exactly how the interior of the No Name would be arranged, Brian kept his eyes on Justin’s face, watching his lover’s every expression. Sure enough, the instant they stepped through the massive double doors that led into the dining area, Justin stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening.

“Brian... what’s going on?” Justin gasped, staring up at him in awe.

Crossing behind him, Brian wound his arms around Justin’s slender waist, dipping his head into the crook of the blonde’s throat. “I wanted us to have a wonderfully romantic dinner without any interruptions whatsoever.”

“You did all this for me?” Justin whispered, turning himself around in Brian’s warms so that the two were once again facing each other.

“I don’t see anyone else here,” Brian said, looking directly into Justin’s eyes.

The words were barely out of his mouth when Justin lunged upwards, holding Brian’s cheeks in his hands as their lips were joined together in an intense kiss. Brian moaned as Justin sucked on his lower lip and clutched tightly at the blonde’s hips. A quiet waltz began to play in the background and without pulling away from his lover, Brian began to sway to the rhythm, twirling himself and Justin around the candlelit room.

“Can you promise me that I won’t wake up tomorrow and find out that this has all been some kind of wonderful dream?” Justin sighed as he laid his head against Brian’s chest.

Brian tilted his head down to press a kiss against Justin’s hair. “If it is, I’ll have had the same dream.”

The two continued to dance slowly to the music until Melinda quietly informed them that their dinner was ready. Even the exquisite aroma of the meal which was wreaking havoc on Brian’s tastebuds wasn’t able to immediately separate the lovers. Resting his cheek against the top of Justin’s head, Brian allowed his hands to glide up and down Justin’s back and couldn’t smother the contented moan as Justin’s fingers found their way into his hair.

“The food’s going to get cold,” Justin mumbled into Brian’s chest as one song changed into another. “It would be a shame to waste it all.”

“Goodness knows we can’t have you eating cold food, my little artist,” Brian chuckled, reluctantly allowing Justin to slide from his arms.

Justin grinned impishly and latched onto Brian’s hand, guiding him across the candlelit room towards the solitary table set off to the side. “You promised me dinner and I intend to collect. Be happy that I’m not going to bring up the fact that I was under the impression that there would be other people here.”

Ever the gentleman as Mr. Donnelly had trained him to be, Brian pulled out a chair for Justin to sit in. “I’ll share you another night. Tonight it’s just the two of us. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not in the least,” Justin grinned up at him, holding onto Brian’s hand as he crossed to the other side of the small, intimate table. “I like having you all to myself.”

In the end, Brian and Justin spent most of their time dancing wrapped in each other’s arms. The only reason the dancing ended was because it was close to midnight and Justin had a 6am shift that morning at the diner. Brian would have rather retreated back to the penthouse, but he knew how important Justin’s job was to him.

As he did every other time he dropped Justin off at the small apartment building he lived, Brian walked the blonde up to his apartment. While he would have loved nothing more than for Justin to move in with him, Brian was just as aware that it was best to allow Justin his independence. It allowed Justin some anonymity and helped to keep him safe.

“So you and Gus will be by the diner in the morning for breakfast?” Justin asked as he unlocked the door to his one room apartment.

“Do you really think Gus would let me forget something as important as seeing his Justin at work?” Brian smirked, leaning against the wall. He waited for Justin to open the door before pushing away from the wall and pulling the smaller man into his arms. “I had a marvelous time tonight. We’ll have to do this again.”

“I agree,” Justin grinned as he wound his arms around Brian’s shoulders.

The two shared several tender kisses before Brian reluctantly allowed Justin to slip from his arms and into his apartment.

“I love you,” Brian called after him, unable to quell a smile at Justin’s wide grin.

“I love you too,” he responded automatically. “Now go home before I throw myself into your arms and demand that you take me to bed.”

Laughing, Brian backed up towards the stairs, keeping his eyes on Justin all the while. “You know, that’s a very tempting offer. Are you sure you don’t want to come home with me?”

“If I go home with you then I won’t get any sleep and I’ll fall asleep pouring coffee tomorrow morning,” Justin reasoned as he began to close the door. “Later.”

“Later,” Brian mouthed, keeping his eyes on Justin until the door was shut. He didn’t begin to descend the steps until he heard the deadbolt lock into place and knew that Justin was safe.

Outside of the apartment building, Renaldo stood at the side of the limo, holding the door open for him. He instructed the guard to take him to the warehouse on the way home before climbing into the back of the vehicle. Inside he noticed that Justin’s tie was lying on the seat half-hidden under Brian’s own jacket, both of which had been removed as the two had made love in the back of the limo on the way to Justin’s apartment.

Brian was reaching over to pick up Justin’s tie when the limo shook violently and he was thrown onto the ground.

“My god....”

Hearing Renaldo’s gasp, Brian quickly rose onto his knees, his eyes meeting with the guards in the rearview mirror. In the small mirror he could see an orange light reflecting in it. Brian whipped his head around, feeling his world crumbling around him as he saw the burning building behind them, pieces of debris tumbling down onto the street.

Justin’s building.


	8. Decadence

“Nnnnnooooooo!” Brian roared as he threw open the door of the limo. “JUSTIN!”

Before Renaldo or Liam could stop him, Brian sprinted towards the burning shell that had been Justin’s apartment building. The closer that he got, the more piece of burning debris were fluttering and crashing down around him. He stumbled as a flaming chair landed directly in his path and ended up with his hand singed slightly.

As he raced down the nearly two blocks between the limo and Justin’s apartment building, Brian found himself praying to a god that he hadn’t believe in for many years. He begged, pleaded and raged to any higher power that listened for Justin to be alive. If the explosion had started low enough in the building there was the chance Justin would be all right.... Except that when he glanced up to Justin’s window he could see flames shooting out of the broken enclosure.

A direct path became even more difficult the closer Brian got to what remained of the building. The debris that fell was much larger and much more obstructive.

“Justin!” Brian screamed, side-stepping just in time to avoid the burnt out remains of someone’s dresser from falling on him. “Justin!”

Even though the entrance was in flames, Brian paid it no mind as he turned to climb the steps that led up to it. He shouted Justin’s name repeatedly as he searched for a safe avenue up the massive concrete staircase that led into the building, desperate to hear his lover’s voice.

Brian managed to climb three of the steps before he felt arms winding around his upper body, pulling him backwards. “NO! Let me go! Justin.... JUSTIN!”

No matter how desperately he fought, Brian could not evade the powerful grip that was pulling him further from his lover. He began to kick as his feet cleared the final step, nearly catching his pantleg on fire as his foot connected with the burning heap of a table. Liam appeared in his line of sight then, grabbing both of his legs and locking them in his powerful grip.

Twisting and contorting his body as much as he was able, Brian continued to fight the protective hold of his two bodyguards. Rationally Brian knew that they were doing that exact same thing which he paid them trusted them to do which was to keep him alive. However, at that moment, Brian was far from rational. The only concern he had was getting to Justin before the younger man ended up burning to death in what was quickly becoming an inferno.

The instant that Liam set his feet down once they reached the street, Brian reared back, smacking the back of his head against Renaldo’s face. When the man reflectively loosened his grip, Brian took advantage of the situation and started once again for the building’s entrance.

That time he made it entirely up the steps, coughing and choking from the vast amounts of smoke billowing out of the doorway. The heat was more intense than any Brian had ever experienced, but that didn’t stop him from darting inside the building.

“Jus.. Justin!” Brian coughed, holding his right arm up to protect his face as sparks shot out in his direction.

Brian jumped out of the way as a large beam began to drop down from almost directly above him. He stumbled on something already on the ground, but was unable to right himself and went toppling down as more pieces of the ceiling fell away. He hit his head hard on the ground, dazing him.

“Boss!” Liam shouted as he followed Brian into the building.

Brian tried to roll himself over onto his stomach, to get back to his feet. His movements were incredibly sluggish, a result of having hit his head. No matter how hard he fought it, Brian was having difficulty keeping his eyes open. Brian was also having a hard time breathing because of all the smoke and was coughing heavily.

There was a loud crash and then Brian wasn’t aware of anything else.

Until he blinked and found himself lying on the street with what he assumed to be a coat or something pillowed under his head. The heat from the fire felt even more intense than it had when he’d lost consciousness. He could feel water sprinkling down on him, but from an odd angle that certainly wasn’t natural.

Brian wanted to move, to find out about Justin, but he couldn’t even keep his eyes open.

“It’s important that someone check the third floor,” Renaldo insisted, sounding very close by. “Someone that Mr. Kinney cares about lives in an apartment on the third floor.”

Whatever response came was lost to Brian. The only thing he was aware of was an intense pain that seemed to spread over his entire right arm as someone moved it from where it had been resting before on the ground. His pained cry was immediately lost as his tenuous hold on consciousness was shattered.

However momentarily.

“You’re going to have to move him,” a disembodied voice said. “The building looks as though it’s about to collapse.”

“Justin....” Brian whimpered as he struggled to open his eyes.

“Hurry up! It’s coming down!”

“We found a body!”

“Jusss....”

He was being dragged across the asphalt, the staggered motion relighting the pain in his arm.

“Easy, boss, we’ll get you to Doc Murphy.”

“Set the body down over here.”

“Make sure everyone’s out!”

“F-fine... find Justin....”

There was retching followed by ragged moans that Brian vaguely recognized as Liam’s.

At last Brian got his eyes opened enough to be able to make out hazy shapes. He blinked a few times and things cleared up and Brian could see the people moving about. The effort that it took taxed Brian of almost all his remaining strength and his head rolled to the side.

And he saw the burned remains of a person.

With patches of blonde hair remaining.

“Nnnnnooooooooo!” Brian moaned, forcing himself onto his stomach and crawling towards the body.

The clothes the person was wearing had been badly burned, but even under all the soot, Brian could still recognize that dark blue suit he had bought Justin only a few hours before.

Sobs wracking his body, Brian continued to inch his way closer until he was a few feet away. The gagging smell of burned flesh was nearly overpowering, so powerful that Brian almost vomited. Overcoming that and the intense pain that made up his right arm, Brian reached forward with his other arm until his fingers brushed against the scorched fabric.

“Justin, no....” Brian cried into the dirty pavement, unable to bear the sight of what had once been his lover. Breathing was fast becoming difficult for Brian as his sobs increased in force and frequency.

This time he welcomed the blackness that enveloped him.

Brian knew that he woke up several times in the succeeding hours. Knew that Renaldo and Liam got him home. That Doc Murphy fixed up his arm. He was helped up to his room and into his bed. A bed that was suddenly far too big. Brian hadn’t even realized that he’d designated sides for himself and Justin until he laid there staring across the vast emptiness where Justin should have been lying.

The last time that he woke up, it was in the middle of the night and Brian made his way downstairs. The three guards were standing near the doorway, talking quietly among themselves. Brian ignored them completely, though, when his gaze fell on the object sitting on his desk. It was burned and scorched, but Brian recognized it immediately.

Justin’s ever-present leather satchel.

In that moment Brian knew that Justin was really gone.

Not only were there the usual sketchpad and charcoals in the bag, but something else that made Brian’s heart clench. Clothes. Justin had decided against staying home alone and had been on his to either flag down Brian’s limo or surprise him at home.

Only Justin never made it.

Brian didn’t even make it completely down the stairs before he rushed up the stairs, barely making it to the bathroom before vomiting in the sink. He rinsed his mouth out with water then staggered into his bedroom and collapsed face-first on the bed where he slept fitfully until morning and awoke to find himself staring at Justin’s side of the bed.

“I love you, Justin,” Brian whispered as he lightly ran his fingertips over the pillow next to his head. A pillow that still smelt like his lover.

Brian continued to lie there for several long minutes, longing for nothing more than to go back in time a day. He wanted it to be Justin’s face that was illuminated by the early morning sun, his blonde hair shimmering and a soft smile curving his lips.

_Brian let his lips move lightly over Justin’s warm stomach, relishing the silk-like feel of his skin. “Dare I ask what this dream was about?”_

_Justin’s hand moved slowly down his body, his fingers twining into Brian’s hair. He toyed with the strands for a few moments before beginning to massage Brian’s scalp. “Well it involved the two of us. Naked. And some crashing waves.”_

Justin would never know that Brian had planned on taking him to Europe in the fall. They were to have taken a train to New York and then boarded a steamer for Southampton, England. The next leg of the journey would have involved crossing the Channel to France then Spain where Brian had planned to charter a yacht that would take them to the coastal regions of the Mediterranean until they ended up in Greece to begin to return trip by land. Justin was an artist and artists were supposed to make a pilgrimage to the Old World, or so Brian had heard.

And while Brian knew that he would enjoy experiencing it all with Gus, it wouldn’t be the same.

“Time to go, Dadda! Time to go!” Gus insisted as he burst into Brian’s bedroom. The five-year-old bolted across the plush carpet and launching himself onto the bed. “You promised, Dadda! We’re gonna go eat breakfast with Justin. Now let’s go.... Dadda? What’s wrong? What happened to yer arm?”

Brian sucked his lips in as he rolled over onto his back. “Morning, Sonnyboy.”

“Dadda?” Gus pouted, snuggling himself against Brian’s side. With exaggerated movements, the little boy lifted Brian’s right arm to examine the bandages wrapped around his forearm. “Dadda, what happened?”

Allowing Gus to maintain his hold on his arm, Brian sat himself up so that he was propped up against the headboard. He the reached out and pulled Gus onto his lap. Brian knew that he had to tell Gus about what had happened to Justin.... Only he didn’t know how to. How could he tell Gus that his new best friend was dead? That he was probably dead because he had been seen with Brian a great deal over the past three months.

“Did one of the bad men hurt your arm?” Gus asked, setting Brian’s arm down gingerly before climbing onto his father’s lap.

With his left hand, Brian attempted to smooth Gus’ wild hair into some semblance of order. “There was a fire last night,” Brian whispered at last, sucking in a deep breath as he felt tears prickling at the back of his eyes. “That’s why I probably smell a lot like smoke. It’s also how I hurt my arm.”

Sniffling, Gus stared at his father with wide eyes. “Di’ Justin get hurt too?”

Brian squeezed his eyes shut tight, his heart clenching at Gus’ innocent question. More than anything, Brian wished that he could tell his son that Justin was all right. That he was at least still alive. Justin would have done anything possible if only he could make it be true.

“Dadda?”

Letting out a deep, shuddering breath, Brian sucked in a few coughs and opened his eyes. He stared at the opposite wall while be composed himself then looked down and met Gus’ eyes. At his own eyes staring back at him. Justin had always claimed that Gus was a miniature copy of Brian, what the older man must have looked like as a child.

“Do you remember me telling you about your mom living up in heaven with the angels?” Brian murmured, doing nothing to stop the tears he could feel leaking from the corners of his eyes.

Gus nodded his head, scrubbing at his eyes with the backs of his hands. “Momma’s an angel now too, right?”

“Your momma is most definitely an angel,” Brian confirmed with a teary smile. Brian released another deep breath. “But now Justin’s one too.”

“NO!” Gus shouted, scrambling away from Brian. Over to Justin’s side of the bed. “Dadda, no! It’s not twue! It’s not!”

“Gus--”

“No,” Gus whimpered, shaking his head vehemently. “Justin’s not an angel. Make ‘im come back! Please, Dadda....”

Gus’ small body began to shake with the force of his sobs. The little boy kept his eyes locked on his father, silently pleading for him to fix things. All that Gus knew stated that Brian should be able to bring Justin back. Brian’s heart broke even further because he knew that there was no way he could fix it. Even with all of the power Brian possessed, he couldn’t bring Justin back from the dead.

He couldn’t go back in time and talk Justin into returning home with him.

He couldn’t relive the previous day and savour every moment he spent with Justin.

Or any other day he spent with Justin.

Rising to his knees, Brian scooted towards his son and gathered him up in his arms. Gus wound his small arms around Brian’s neck, his legs going around his torso at the same time. Using his left arm to support Gus’ bottom, Brian rubbed soothing circles on his back with his free hand.

“Want Justin,” Gus whimpered into Brian’s throat.

“So do I, Sonnyboy,” Brian murmured against the top of his head.

Gus burrowed his face as close to Brian’s throat as possible. “We were s’pose to have breakfast with him dis morning. At the diner.”

Brian could only nod his head.

The entire thing seemed incredibly surreal to Brian. He felt so completely numb, almost detached. It was the only way he could exist at that moment. If he gave into his emotions there was no doubt in Brian’s mind that he would fall apart. So instead he let Gus cry as much and as hard as he needed to, being the support his son needed to deal with the meaningful death of someone he loved. Gus had still been an infant when Lindsay had died so he didn’t remember her let alone what her death had been like. With Justin it was completely different. Gus loved Justin and Brian knew that it had gone both ways. Brian remembered teasing Justin countless times about loving Gus more than he did him. It wasn’t true, though. Brian knew that Justin had loved both of them equally.

Gus ended up sobbing himself into an exhausted sleep even though the little boy hadn’t been awake for very long.

Once he was sure that Gus was settled comfortably in his own bed with Katherine watching over him, Brian finally went back downstairs. He needed to talk with Renaldo, Liam and Johnny to discuss what was going to happen next. There was no doubt in Brian’s mind that the fire that killed Justin had been deliberately set.

~*~*~

A hollow banging sound echoed in the dimly lit corridor. Muffled shouts were interspersed along with it. Towards the end of the hallway the sounds became louder, reaching its height in front of a door with a guard standing in front.

“Let me out of here! Please! Help me!”

The pleas were met with absolute silence.

“BRIAN!”

Inside the room, Justin continued to pound on the door with hands bloodied from hours of such hammering.

“Brian....” Justin whimpered as he sank to his knees, his hands sliding down the cool metal. He pressed his forehead against the door as he knelt in front of it, finally giving into his tears which he had been holding at bay until that moment.


	9. Decadence

Justin sat curled up in one of the corners opposite the door. There was a small cot against one of the other walls, but Justin made sure to stay far away from it. If he laid down then there was a chance he could fall asleep. Then his guard would be down and he wouldn’t be able to protect himself.

There was no doubt in Justin’s mind that the reason he was in that room was because of Brian. Someone wanted to hurt Brian and were using him to that end. What other reason could there be for someone to blow up the building he lived in and bother to remove him first?

He had still been on cloud nine after coming home from a magical evening with Brian, his lover having been gone less than a minute, when his front door had been kicked in. Much of what followed passed in a blur of movement, but it culminated with Justin being bound and gagged and carried over the shoulder of some big goon and rushed out of the building. On the way down the building’s main staircase, Justin was bustled past another group of men placing the body of an already dead blonde on the same staircase. Justin was quite shocked to realize that the dead man was wearing the exact same suit as him. It was only as he saw his leather satchel change hands that Justin fully realized what was going on.

His attempts at escape following that revelation had failed.

Just as he was being shoved inside a car idling behind the building, the first of the explosions had gone off. The car had gone tearing through the connecting alleyways before emerging on the street.

And through the back window of the vehicle had watched as Brian attempted to run into the burning the building.

Justin had screamed and pounded on the window, desperate to get Brian’s attention. Whether he succeeded or not, Justin didn’t know. He had been yanked away from the window and thrown up against the back of the front seat, his body dropped down into the space between the front and back seats.

“You’d best be quiet if you want to make it out of this alive,” the big man threatened, glaring down at Justin who was still huddled on the ground.

Until that moment, Justin hadn’t actually been scared.

Hours later, Justin still didn’t know who had masterminded the whole thing. He’d been taken across town to a one of the many waterfront warehouses and locked in a room in its basement. No one had come in and Justin had been unable to get out.

The only thing that Justin could do was wait.

While he waited, though, his mind was incredibly overactive. He could envision countless scenarios taking place at the building where he’d once lived. Visions of Brian running into the burning structure and being injured himself... or worse. Not knowing what had actually happened only made it worse for Justin. It allowed him to visualize every atrocity imaginable and some that he didn’t want to.

“Brian’s not dead,” Justin whispered into his upraised knees, his eyes still locked on the door, waiting for it to open. “He’s fine and he’s going to figure out what happened. He’ll know I’m not really dead.”

Except that Justin wasn’t too sure about that. He desperately wanted to believe that Brian would know that the dead body wasn’t his, but there was no guaranteeing it.

All that Justin could do was hope.

To keep himself from panicking further, Justin began to think of his reunion with his lover. He had always been under the impression that reunions after traumatic experiences were the most intense and the most memorable. 

Justin imaged himself lying on Brian’s bed, the mobster stretched out behind him so that every inch of the back of his body was touching the front of Brian’s. He would have his head turned towards Brian so that he could kiss his lips, his cheeks, his jaw while his hand reached back to play with the longer strands of Brian’s hair. Brian would have one hand on his hip, holding him secure. All of this would take place at night so that the light from the moon could wash over them, creating an ethereal glow.

It was right in the middle of his fantasy that Justin heard the door start to open. He was on his feet in an instant, his body pressed as far into the corner as he could manage. Then, coming to a sudden decision, Justin straightened himself and took a step away from the wall. He squared his shoulders and drew upon all the rage he felt for what his lover was undoubtedly going through.

Two muscle-bound guards entered first, followed by a small, weasel-like man in an expensive suit. Justin recognized the weasel-man instantly, having seen his picture on the front page of the newspaper nearly as often as Brian’s. 

“Justin Taylor. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Michael Novotny drawled as he stepped out from between his two goons. “I have been wanting to meet you for quite some time, but for some reason our esteemed Mr. Kinney hasn’t been quite so agreeable.”

“Gee, I wonder why that was,” Justin scowled. “Could it maybe have something to do with your father trying to kidnap his son?”

“That, was a complete misunderstanding,” Michael replied automatically, crossing the room to sit down on the cot. “A rather unfortunate one from my dear father’s perspective. But that has nothing to do with either one of us. I am not my father and you are most certainly not young sprite whose father thinks he owns the world.”

Justin sidled along the wall so that the two guards were on his left near the door and Michael was on his right. He needed to keep them both in his sights so that he wouldn’t be caught unawares. Justin knew that there was nothing he could do to defend himself if even one of the goons decided to take him on. But Justin wanted to at least know when it was coming.

“Are we at any time going to get to the part where you tell me why you blew up my home while Brian thought I was still inside?” Justin demanded, shifting uneasily from foot to foot.

“Because I want Kinney to think that you’re dead,” Michael said with a roll of his eyes. “I thought that would be quite obvious. However, since it seems to need explaining, I’ll help you out. Our friend Brian is quite infatuated with you. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say he loves you. Given that, I think it’s safe to say that he’ll be quite saddened to learn of your death. His kid, too. Very simple plot, don’t you agree?”

“Why?” Justin ground out.

If anything, Michael seemed annoyed with the question. “So that I can use his grief to my advantage,” the mobster hissed, glaring at him. He then snorted and rolled his eyes. “I can see that Kinney doesn’t keep you around for your stimulating conversation.”

All that Justin could do was return the glare.

If he had learned anything from the lover who had nearly killed him it was that being disrespectful to someone more powerful was an easy way to find yourself in a cemetery. Since Justin every intention of making it back to Brian alive and in a relatively intact condition, he would have to play the middle ground. He could be curt and angry, but not insulting.

“You are putting a great deal of faith in Brian’s supposed feelings towards me,” Justin said into an uncomfortable silence. “Just because we sleep together doesn’t mean that Brian has any kind of emotional attachment to me. From what I hear he can have anyone in the city, queer or straight. I’m sure he’ll find a replacement body soon enough.”

“You are quite a cynical individual, Justin,” Michael commented, a twisted smile lighting his features.

Justin returned the smirk, his stiff posture furthering his attempt at indifference to the situation. “It’s a survival tactic. You don’t spend as much time living on the streets as I have believing in fantasies. You do what you have to in order to survive, even if it means prostituting your body to someone powerful.”

There was more truth to the words than Justin would have liked. Justin had sold his body, many times, in order to keep himself alive one day longer. It wasn’t something that he was proud of and avoided at all costs, but Justin had learned that he couldn’t have scruples if he wanted to survive. Justin knew that he cleaned up well and it had earned him a few dollars and sometimes a comfortable place to sleep when the need arose. If he was lucky it was some heart broken, reasonably wealthy, young widow who wanted to remember her husband for one night. Those nights Justin ate well and slept in a large feather bed in one of the many higher class hotels in the heart of the city. If he wasn’t it was a large, foul-smelling boatsman looking for a quick rut while the cargo was unloaded from the steamer.

“I think we can assume that there is more to your relationship with Kinney than that,” Michael snorted, absently playing with the cuffs of his shirt. “There is no prostituting involved when you share Kinney’s bed.”

Knowing that it would be impossible to deny the accusation, Justin remained silent. Whether he wanted to or not he could not deny his feelings for Brian. Justin loved him more than he had thought he was capable. Simply thinking that Brian believed him to be dead was tearing him apart. Justin didn’t want Brian to hurt like that, especially not because of him.

“Now let us get back to the matter at hand,” Michael said as he rose to his feet in a single fluid motion. “That being your emotional effect on Brian and how I plan on using that to my advantage.”

Justin tensed as the mobster began to pace back and forth in front of him. “It has been my experience that when the bad guy reveals his plot it never turns out well.”

“True, but I am only revealing it to you and you are in no position to do anything about it,” Michael countered with a smug grin.

The smug expression only increased Justin’s unease. He wanted to be enraged at what was going on, but knew he could not simply write Michael Novotny off. Not without facing severe consequences.

“You see, my young friend, I plan on using you to drive Mr. Kinney insane,” Michael informed him. “He will see you everywhere even though he believes you to be dead.”

“And what makes you think I would even agree to go along with this?” Justin ground out, doing his utmost to hide his shock under a mask of anger.

The return of the mob boss’ vicious smirk made Justin’s blood run cold.

“I would hope that you would agree willingly,” Michael said, sounding as though the topic was of no consequence whatsoever. “If not it is Kinney and his beloved son that will pay the consequences.” The other man started to laugh outright at Justin’s shocked expression. “You did not think that I would merely threaten your life, did you? I could not guarantee my success if I only threatened you.”

Almost immediately Justin felt his knees begin to buckle. Still standing against the wall, Justin used that to prop himself up as he slid to the floor.

“You wear your emotions too clearly, young man,” Michael said as he crouched down in front of the artist. “That makes you vulnerable. People like me, we exploit vulnerabilities.”

Justin let out a deep breath, the force pushing his lips out. “I don’t believe you,” he forced out, his eyes boring into Michael’s.

The statement earned him an arched eyebrow. “The man had my father murdered. I think it’s safe to say that I am more than capable of ending Kinney’s life. His son would just be an added bonus.”

“Oh I have no doubt that you would willingly kill him,” Justin countered, regaining some of his earlier bravado. “What I do know is that you’ll find killing Brian a very difficult task.”

“Is that so?” Michael grinned in return.

His confidence returning with astonishing speed, Justin pushed himself back up to his full height. “You’ve failed at every other attempt. What would make any other one will be different?” 

Having been so focused on Michael, Justin had foolishly ignored the other two men in the small room. He wasn’t reminded of their presence until one of them had him pressed against the wall with a hand to his throat. No matter how hard he tried to not panic, as the flow of air to his lungs began to lessen, fear began to grip him once again.

“That wasn’t very smart,” Michael hissed, glaring at Justin over the broad shoulder of his hired goon. “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were trying to get yourself killed.”

“Whatever... gave you... that idea?” Justin gasped out with great difficulty.

Michael walked around so that he was leaning with his shoulder against the wall, smiling amicably at the trapped blonde. “I think you should know, Justin, that even if you do manage to get me to kill you, it won’t put Kinney in the clear. He’ll be just as dead and so will his kid.”

“No!” Justin cried, forcing the word out as he began to feel lightheaded from the lack of air. Even his attempts to claw his way from the grip was becoming more and more futile, weaker.

“Get him on the bed, Anthony,” Michael ordered, backing up to the center of the room.

That time Justin’s scream was a silent one. When he opened his mouth to scream, no sound came out and all that he ended up doing was losing what little oxygen remained in his lungs.

“Joseph, you hold his feet down. Anthony, you’ve got his arms,” the weaselly mobster instructed as Justin’s struggling body was dragged towards the cot.

At first Justin simply could not rationalize what was happening to him. There was no mistaking Michael’s intentions, but Justin was still having difficulty wrapping his mind around it. He had been safe for too long. After spending so long with Brian, Justin had forgotten what it was like to be used against his will.

“I can see now why Kinney lusts after you.”

In his mind, Justin could only repeat his well recited mantra of “It’s just my body, it doesn’t matter.” Over and again he repeated the many used words, distancing himself from what was being done to his body. As long as he wasn’t aware of what was going on around him, he could pretend that it wasn’t really happening.

Except that he could still feel it, later. Even after seven years, Justin hadn’t learned a way to keep himself from experiencing the after effects of what was done to his body.

So Justin pretended that it was the result of something else.

After he heard the door slam shut, Justin curled in on himself, trying to make his body as small as possible on the filthy cot. He desperately wanted to be somewhere else in his mind if he could not transport his body.

“Brian....” Justin whimpered, pressing his face into the mattress to block the sound of his ensuing screams. 

There was undoubtedly guards on the other side of the door and Justin didn’t want anyone to know just how much he was hurting. Or how terrified he was. Until... until Michael had.... Justin screamed again, trying to make himself believe that it had just been like all the other times he had allowed people to use his body for their pleasure. 

But in the past, Brian had never been a factor. Justin had always existed only for himself. His loyalties had been to himself and his own self-preservation. But for the first time since he’d been forced out of his childhood home, Justin had ties to someone other than himself. Despite how hard he had fought to prevent it, there was no denying that he, Brian and Gus had formed a strange little family over the past three months.

And now, as far as they were concerned, he was dead. Knowing Brian was well as he did, Justin didn’t doubt for one moment that Brian was blaming himself for what had happened and that that guilt was drowning him. It hadn’t taken him very long to discover that Brian felt things very deeply. More deeply than anyone would suspect given his line of work and the persona he presented to the outside world.

Because of that, and because he loved Brian so deeply, that Justin knew he wouldn’t be able to do what Michael wanted him to. He couldn’t hurt Brian like that. He also couldn’t be responsible for Brian and Gus’ deaths which would be the result of him not complying.

Which meant that Justin had to find a way out on his own since there was no guaranteeing that Brian knew that he was still alive. Justin could hope that Brian would discover that the body was not his, but there was no way to be sure that it would actually happen.

Rising stiffly to his feet, Justin grabbed his pants up from the ground and slipped them on. He focused on the feel of the expensive silk against his legs, remembering what had happened less than one day before, and using that to bulster himself. He stood up straight, scrubbing away the remnants of his tears and began to figure out a way for him to save himself and the ones that he loved.


	10. Decadence

“Roger and I wanna go too.”

Brian paused in the middle of straightening his tie and turned towards the door of his room. Gus stood there dressed up in his special suit, holding tight to the mutt’s leash. Like all of the other inhabitants of the apartment building where Justin had lived, Roger had appeared the following day, the people with the story that they had all been forced out by a group of thugs prior to the explosions.

“Gus, a funeral isn’t the place--”

“I wanna say goodbye to Justin,” Justin sniffed, scrubbing at his eyes with the back of his free hand. “You get to so why not me? I promise I’ll be good.”

Crossing the room, Brian knelt down in front of his son. “I know you’ll be good, Gus. That’s not the problem. But funerals are very sad, Gus. Everyone will be crying and there won’t be anyone for you to talk to...”

“Dadda, please,” Gus whimpered, reaching out a hand to clutch at one of Brian’s suspenders.

Despite his better judgment, Brian nodded his head. As much as he would have liked to shield his son from what was happening, he couldn’t do that. Gus was a smart kid and knew exactly what was going on. He knew that Brian was dead and that he wouldn’t be coming back... ever. Brian hated that he was unable to protect Gus from that.

“But if you want to come, you have to promise me that you’ll do whatever I tell you,” Brian instructed as he attempted to pat his son’s unruly hair into some semblance of order. “No questions asked.”

Frowning slightly, Gus nonetheless nodded his head. “Promise.”

“Good. Now I want you to go downstairs and have Emily make you a snack. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Brian remained kneeling as he watched Gus bolt from his room and take off down the hallway with Roger trailing happily after him. When Brian had first learned of the dog’s survival, he had been tempted to give it to Liam and Emily’s son Alexander. The penthouse was no place for a dog, but Brian knew that he couldn’t take away both of his son’s best friends at once. So now Brian had to content himself to sharing his home with a slobbering mass of fur that Justin had loved a great deal.

Rising stiffly to his feet, Brian trudged back to the too-big bed that remained unmade. The previous morning, his cleaning lady had wanted to change the sheets to rid them of the scent of smoke, but Brian, in a sudden panic, had forbidden her. While his side was smoky, Justin’s still smelt like him. Brian wanted that smell to remain as long as possible.

Brian had so few physical reminders of his lover. A few changes of clothes in the closet. The odd sketch hidden away. Justin’s tie that he had left in the limo. His scorched satchel and its contents. And his scent linger on his pillow.

The rest had been lost when Justin’s apartment building had gone up in flames.

And now, two days later, Brian had to place what was left of his lover into the ground.

Fidgeting with his tie a final time, Brian reached down to scoop his jacket up off the rumpled sheets. What he wanted was to remain wrapped in those sheets until the world swallowed him whole.... Except that his line of work didn’t allow for time off for grieving. The instant he showed a sign of weakness it was an invitation for one of the other families to move in on his territory.

Which was why Brian was making it no secret that the person responsible for the fire that had killed would pay severely. It was not a threat that was taken lightly. Not after the brutal death meted out to the man who had failed to kidnap Gus four years before.

“The limo’s ready to go,” Ben announced as Brian slowly made his way down the stairs. “The service starts in half an hour.”

Exhaling loudly, Brian crossed over to his desk; where Justin’s bag still sat on one corner. “We’ll leave as soon as Gus finishes his snack.... And I want Johnny, Renaldo and Liam to make sure that security is extra tight. Nothing interrupts the ceremony. I’ll castrate you all if that happens.”

“Ready, Dadda,” Gus called, bouncing over from the kitchen, Roger trailing at his heels.

Brian knelt down in front of his son, brushing a few crumbs off his chin. “Remember what I told you, Gus. If you’re going to come, you have to behave yourself and do whatever I say. This is going to be very serious and probably very sad. Okay?”

“‘Kay,” Gus nodded solemnly. “Roger will behave too.”

As if to verify the statement, the red-furred lab/retriever mix pressed his nose against Brian’s hand.

Even though he shouldn’t have been, Brian was surprised by just how many people filled Queen of Angels church for the funeral service. All of the people who had worked with Justin at the Liberty Diner as well as several of its regulars. The other inhabitants of the destroyed apartment building who were being housed at Brian’s expense until they could find new homes for themselves. Melinda. Jacob Matthews and James Fitzpatrick, doorman and elevator operator at Harborview Towers, as well as a few people who lived inside the building.

And, of course, representatives from the other families were there as a show of respect. As he made his way to the front of the church, Brian accepted condolences from the five men, holding Gus more securely as he shook hands with Michael Novotny.

Much of the service passed in a blur as Brian stared at the mahogany coffin at the front of the church. He had wanted to have a picture of Justin placed by the casket and was grieved to realize that no picture existed. If it hadn’t been for a few sketches Justin had drawn of the two of them wrapped up in a passionate embrace, Brian would have had nothing to remind him of Justin’s appearance besides his own memory.

Renaldo, Johnny, Liam and three of Brian’s other guards acted as pallbearers as the coffin was borne out of the church. The burial itself was to be private with only Brian, Gus, Ben, the pallbearers and Deb Grassi present. Roger, with his natural tendency to dig, had been taken elsewhere by another of Brian’s guards.

After the priest had said all of the requisite prayers, Brian crossed the short distance that separated him from the coffin. He ran his fingers along the sleek wood, closing his eyes to envision Justin’s warm skin under his fingertips rather than the polished wood. Tears unwillingly form in his eyes as his touch reached the head of the coffin.

“I love you,” Brian whispered as he leaned down to press his lips to the unfeeling wood. Unable to pull away, Brian touched his forehead to the coffin and allowed a few tears to sneak past his lashes and splash onto the hard surface below.

It took every ounce of strength that Brian possessed to step back from the coffin, knowing that he would never again be so close to his lover.

Then, nodding to the priest, signaled for the coffin to be lowered into the ground.

Breathing deeply, Brian tilted his head skyward, unable to watch the casket’s descent into the earth. It seemed fitting to him that the sun was hidden behind a heavy cover of clouds. Selfish as it was, he didn’t want anyone else to be able to enjoy the day that he buried his lover.

The priest said a few more words and it was over. All that remained was for the people present to each sprinkle a handful of dirt into the grave. Taking Gus by the hand, Brian led his son to the hole and gave their contribution together. After he dumped his dirt, Gus held both arms out to Brian who reached down to pick up his son.

“It’s okay, Sonnyboy,” Brian murmured against the top of Gus’ head as the boy sniffled against his coat. “Justin’s an angel now, just like your Momma. That means he’s always going to be there watching you. Even when you can’t see him.”

“But I wanna see him,” Gus lamented, his voice muffled against Brian’s shoulder.

“Then you just pray really hard to him before you go to bed and I know he’ll visit you in your dreams,” Brian promised, pleading with whatever higher powers controlled such things to make it so. “Now you go with Katherine and Renaldo to the limo. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Gus reluctantly allowed himself to be extracted from his father’s arms and snuggled himself into Renaldo’s chest as he was carried away.

A few minutes later only Brian and the gravediggers were left. He forced himself to watch as every shovelful was dumped into the ground, not even giving up his post when rain began to drizzle down on him.

“Come on, Brian. It’s time to go,” Ben whispered, returning to Brian’s side with an umbrella in hand.

Brian sniffed and shook his head. “I can’t. I need to stay here. I have to convince myself that this is real.”

“Brian--”

Shaking his head, Brian cut the other man off. “Take Gus home. Leave Johnny and Marco behind to babysit me if you want, but I’m not going anywhere until this is finished.”

Ben remained beside him for a few moments then, squeezing his shoulder lightly, turned and headed back towards the limo.

By the time the grave was filled, Brian was soaked through. The rain provided an excellent camouflage for his now-constant tears. Brian remained standing beside the grave until the gravediggers departed. Pushing his bangs out of his face, Brian slowly made his way to the head of the grave and the ornate tombstone that stood there. Normally it would not be put out until after, but Brian had ordered it placed there before the ceremony. It was a tombstone that Justin’s artistic nature would have appreciated.

A kneeling angel clasping a slender staff.

At its base was carved simply: Justin Taylor. 1906-1928.

Brian stood in front of the statue and let his palm rest on the bowed head. “I thought that nothing could hurt more than the day I buried the man who was more of a father to me than mine could ever be. But then, I loved him as a father and I love you as... as my everything. There is so much that I wanted to tell you, so much I wanted to share with you and now that will never happen. I know you’d like to believe that we’ll meet again in heaven, but I’m not too sure that I’ll end up there. I’ve done a lot of horrible things in my life. Things that I’m not proud of. But the worst... the absolute worst, it letting you die. I don’t know what I could have done to change what happened that night, but I wish to every higher power that exists that I had done it. And now I’ll have to live with the fact that I didn’t and hope that I’ll get to see you again in some form or another. I love you, Justin. I always will....”

Brian stayed staring at the marble head of the statue, collecting himself. The day was far from over and Brian still had to act calm and collected for much of it. There was still the wake to attend as well as a meeting that could not be rescheduled.

Somehow, Brian survived the day.

It was a near thing, but Brian managed to hold himself together as he endured the constant well wishes and condolences. People sympathizing with him and telling him that it would be easier with time. That soon he wouldn’t miss Justin as much. Brian nodded and gave the proper replies, all the while he felt like screaming. Brian doubted that there was one among them who knew what it was like to lose half of their very being.

The meeting was equally subdued and over a lot quicker than the wake had been. After it, Brian made a brief trip home to tuck Gus into bed. Unfortunately he was too late for that. Gus was already sound asleep, but Brian went up to his room anyway. 

“You did good today, Sonnyboy,” Brian whispered as he lightly caressed his son’s hair. “Justin would have been proud of you.”

Gus shifted slightly and Brian remained perfectly still, hoping that the little boy would remain asleep. The little boy sighed loudly, but didn’t wake. Brian continued to stroke his hair for a few more minutes before leaving him to sleep, Roger watching over him.

“I’ll check out the shipment that’s coming in tonight,” Ben said as Brian descended the stairs.

Brian shook his head slightly, raking his fingers through his hair. “You don’t need to do that, Ben, I can handle it.”

“You shouldn’t have to handle it, Bri. You’re hurting right now so let me do this. It’s no big deal,” Ben placated him.

Under normal circumstances, Brian wouldn’t have allowed him to get away with that, but at the moment he couldn’t make himself fight it.

“You buried Justin today. You need to take care of yourself.”

“I’m fine, Ben,” Brian ground out. “I know that you think you’re looking out for me, but I’m fine.”

“Brian--”

“No, Ben. I don’t want you to coddle me. I don’t need you to, either,” Brian sighed, not having the energy to fight with his friend.

“I’m not trying to coddle you, Brian,” Ben assured him as Brian made his way over to the alcohol cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. “I’m fulfilling my duty as your best friend and looking out for you.”

Brian smiled slightly, pouring the whiskey into a shotglass. “I appreciate the gesture, Ben, but I am capable of looking out for myself. I’ve been doing it for a long time.”

The cup nearly full to overflowing, Brian brought it up to his mouth and down the contents in a single gulp.

“At least let me deal with tonight’s shipment,” Ben said, coming to stand beside him. “Ted will think that something’s wrong if he’s not insulted properly.”

Pouring himself another shot, Brian smirked slightly and nodded his head. “All right. You win. But I expect you to be here first thing in the morning to give me a report.”

After Ben left, Brian made two calls then left himself. Katherine was there to watch over Gus and Renaldo was at the door to make sure that no one got in. His son would be safe while he went out to grieve in his own way.

Half an hour later, Brian stood looking out over the city from the penthouse suite at a downtown hotel. He had shed his coat and tie and slipped his suspenders off his shoulders so that they hung down over his legs. His socks, shoes and collar followed soon after. Then Brian proceeded to start drinking, gearing himself up for what was coming. Without even realizing it, nearly half the bottle of whiskey he had brought with him was gone.

But Brian still didn’t feel numb enough.

He could still feel the sharp ache in his heart that had been a constant since Justin had been taken from him.

“I’m not ready to be without you,” Brian murmured, setting the bottle down on a side table as he made his way back towards large glass door that led out onto the balcony. He opened the door, but did not step outside. 

The earlier drizzle had turned to a full downpour, complete with thunder and lightning. It seemed fitting to Brian and he stood there, not moving away from the fine spray of water that misted in through the open door. There was a cleansing feel to it, but Brian refused to allow it to wash away his memories of Justin. As much as it pained him, Brian wanted to remember every moment he had spent with Justin.

Brian was just turning away from the balcony when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Brian called over his shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut momentarily before turning to the rest of the room.

And came face to face with the ghost of his dead lover.

“So do I meet the requirements?” the hustler asked, shaking his blonde hair out of his eyes.

Sucking in his lips, Brian nodded his head. “You’ll do.... The bedroom’s over there.”

Brian watched silently as the other man moved towards the bedroom, his mind replacing his features with Justin’s. With clothes on, it wasn’t difficult because the shape of their bodies and the cut and colour of their hair was almost identical. By the time he got to the bedroom, the other man was naked and standing at the foot of the bed, awaiting instructions.

“Lie down,” Brian mumbled, his fingers fumbling with the buttons of his shirt. “On your stomach.”

The hustler did as instructed and Brian finished undressing. He stayed at the foot of the bed for several long moments, staring down at the body spread out before him before he knelt down. Brian slowly crawled up the mattress until he was stretched out beside the other man and leaned up on one elbow, staring at the top of the blonde head.

Blinking back the tears, Brian reached out to stroke what, in his mind, was Justin’s hair.


	11. Decadence

Justin had sung every song that he knew twice over in an attempt to keep himself from sleeping. He allowed himself to shut his eyes for extended blinks, but refused to actually sleep. It was an exhausting process and one that Justin knew he would not be able to keep up for more than another day. 

“I was mighty blue, thought my life was through, ‘till the heavens opened, and gazed at--”

His words cut off the instant he heard the heavy door begin to creak open. Justin sluggishly pushed himself to his feet, glaring at the man who entered.

“You’re certainly brave,” Justin smirked, no longer having a care for his own well being.

“That would imply you posed a threat,” Michael sneered, pulling the folded newspaper he’d had tucked under his arm out and held it in Justin’s direction. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but I have controlling interest in one of the local papers so I had them print this on the front page just for you.”

Justin stared at the still folded newspaper apprehensively, unsure of what he would see. Keeping his eyes locked with Michael, Justin slowly crossed the room and allowed the mobster to place the newspaper in his outstretched hand. Without Michael’s fingers holding it closed, the paper fell open so quickly that Justin nearly dropped it. Catching it with both hands, Justin eyes were immediately drawn to the large picture in the center of the page.

Of Brian.

Staring down at a coffin which was being lowered into the ground, his face a mask of silent agony.

Also caught within the edges of the photograph was Gus, dressed in a little suit, and clutching tightly at his father’s hand.

Above the picture, in bold typeface, was printed, “Mob boss loses lover in building explosion.”

“You bastard,” Justin hissed, blinking away the tears that had formed at his initial sight of the photograph.

“I’ll have you know that my conception was well within the time frame of my parents’ union,” Michael smirked, already moving back towards the door. “There’s quite a moving article to go along with that photo. Details the last day you and Brian spent together along with other highlights from your all too brief relationship.”

The second-rate mob boss was gone before Justin could even wrap his mind about what had been said to him. He had never thought that anything in his life would warrant being on the front page of the newspaper, not even after he had begun his spending time with Brian on a regular basis.

Except he could not deny it because it was all there.

Every last detail of the past three months of his life was right there for everyone in Pittsburgh to read. And Justin knew that it would be read because his life was intimately entwined with the city’s most infamous citizen and they would be able to live vicariously through his exploits.

“.... As though he had known that it would be the last day he would ever spend with his lover, Mr. Kinney spared no expense, renting out an entire restaurant for the two of them. The pair danced into the wee hours of the night to music played by a fully orchestrated band....”

He wasn’t sure whether to be relieved that Brian had only received a burn to his forearm after having rushed into the building not once, but twice. And the body.... While there was no picture, Justin could fully envision the article’s description of Brian lying on the street, his fingers clutching at the sleeve of the corpse’s jacket, believing that it was him. Justin almost found himself smiling when he read that Roger had somehow managed to survive the explosion. He was glad that Gus still had the energetic puppy to keep him company while Brian, he was sure, was currently falling to pieces behind closed doors.

Making his way over to the cot, Justin slumped down, his eyes riveted on the photograph of his lover. That picture left no doubt in Justin’s mind that Brian fully believed him to be dead because agony such as that could not be faked.

In those moments, Justin decided that he needed to do something to take Brian’s pain away. He had to find some way to let Brian know that he was alive, hopefully even managing to escape. Except, Justin didn’t really know how he was going to do that. It was one thing to say that he wanted to escape, but it was something entirely different to make it a reality.

But Justin was nothing if not determined. 

Stubborn as a mule, if Brian’s opinion was requested.

Propping the newspaper up between the pillow and the wall, Justin used that as a motivator as he began pacing the room, trying to stimulate some escape tactic. The only problem that he was so exhausted that he was having difficulty putting two thoughts together.

So Justin used one of two means he had for creating inspiration when he was working on his art. Crouching down facing the wall, Justin placed his hands down on the floor about a foot from it and used his legs to vault himself into an upsidedown position, standing on his hands with his the backs of his heels resting against the wall.

However, as a result of exhaustion and having very little to eat over the past two days, Justin was only able to remain in that position for about thirty seconds. Once he untangled himself, Justin stretched out on the concrete floor and stared up at the blank ceiling, still trying to think of a way out of his current situation.

Blinking owlishly, Justin stifled a yawn with the back of his hand. He knew that he had to stay awake, but with each moment that passed the task was becoming more and more difficult. Each time that his eyes would slide shut, it was harder to force them open again.

His eyes fluttered open again and Justin felt his entire body tense.

The ceiling wasn’t the same and, for that matter, Justin was no longer lying on a cold concrete floor. Instead he was staring at a pristine, white ceiling and lying on a comfortable mattress covered with what felt like satin sheets.

Justin’s panic began to rise still further when he realized that the reason he could tell that the sheets he was lying on were satin was because he wasn’t wearing a stitch.

And, besides that, his arms and legs were tied to the posts of the bed with what felt like silk scarves.

Justin shook his head, trying to clear the fog that seemed to have appeared in his mind the moment he’d opened his eyes. It terrified him that he didn’t know how he’d gotten from that room in the warehouse to wherever he was then. Forcing his head up off the pillows, Justin scanned the interior of the room, taking in all its gaudy attempts at elegance.

“I was beginning to think that Anthony had used too much chloroform and that you would sleep the entire day away,” Michael commented as he stepped into Justin’s line of sight. As far as the artist could tell, he was wearing nothing beneath the green silk dressing gown that covered him. “That would most certainly spoil my fun.”

“You must have very little self worth if you have to tie up someone just so that you can stick your cock in them,” Justin spat out, not bothering to hide his digust. At the time, it was the only defense he had. “It’s certainly the only way you would ever have your way with me. I would rather offer myself to an entire shipload of foul-smelling boatsmen down on the docks than to willingly bed you.”

It was no surprise to Justin that the comment earned him a solid slap across the face from the enraged mobster who had been stalking in his direction while he spoke. Justin’s smug smile was interrupted only momentarily as he nudged the tip of his tongue against the corner of his mouth, wiping away a small trickle of blood that had resulted from the slap.

“I seem to have hit a nerve,” Justin smirked, arching a brow. “I had no idea you were so sensitive.”

Michael seemed about ready to pounce on Justin at any moment, something for which the blonde was mentally preparing himself. He knew that he had goaded the older man into whatever violence he had planned and could only hope that he would be able to take advantage of the situation.

Just as he predicted, Michael immediately straddled Justin’s stomach, holding himself up on his knees and his clenched fists which were pressed to either side of Justin’s head. “If I didn’t not know better, I would think that you had a death wish, little boy. Unfortunately, it won’t work. I have every intention of keeping you alive for the entire course of your natural life.”

Clenching his jaw, Justin didn’t allow his gaze to flicker from his aggressor. He planned on being aware for every second of what Michael was going to do to him. And he wanted the mobster to know that.

“You’re very good,” Michael chuckled, lifting his right hand so that he could waggle a finger at Justin. “What you were not aware of is that I’m far better at this game than you are.”

“Is that so?” Justin asked, forcing himself to not release a relieved breath when Michael moved to his side, stretching himself out lengthwise beside the artist.

The smug smile still in place, Michael began to trail a single finger along Justin’s torso, back and forth over again. “That is most certainly so. You are forgetting the fact that I, like my father, run a prostitution ring. I know how whores act, what tactics they employ... how to remain in control even when someone else is dominant.”

Even though he showed no outward sign, in his head mind Justin was cursing quite profusely. That had actually been what he had been planning, to some extent at least.

“And while I know that you would like to be able to separate yourself from what is going to happen, that is something that is also not going to happen,” Michael added, grinding his hips against Justin’s upper thigh. The robe slipped under the friction and Justin could feel the course hair surrounding Michael’s member rubbing against his flesh. “I am going to make sure that you are perfectly aware that it is my cock buried deep inside you, thrusting again and again, making you scream.... There will be no doubt in your mind that it is me making you climax, because climax you will.”

“I hope you did not intend for me to find that arousing,” Justin ground out, pursing his lips as he glared at the other man.

Michael made a non-committal noise and shrugged his shoulders slightly before moving to his knees. Facing Justin, he unfastened the sash of his dressing gown and let the thing fall open, revealing the front of his body.

There was nothing Justin could do to stop the snort of mirth from escaping him at the sight of the weasel-like man’s chest for in its very center was a strip of dark fur that looked as though a small rodent had attached itself to his chest and made itself quite at home.

“I would suggest that the next time your barber shaves your face, that he also rid you of that large parasite on your chest,” Justin snickered in the face of Michael’s dark glower. “It is quite unbecoming.”

There was nothing Justin could do to prevent the slap to the face the comment earned him. Quite the opposite of what he was sure Michael was expecting, Justin’s laughter only increased in volume which added to the dark-haired man’s anger. He struck out repeatedly, littering Justin’s upper body with punches and slaps and the occasional gouge of blunt nails.

Using Michael’s distraction to his advantage, Justin frantically fumbled with the scarves tied to his wrists. While it was impossible for him to untie himself, the slippery nature of the material could be used to his advantage. Gripping the scarves in his hands, Justin began to pull on them, tugging them from side to side at the same time. If he was lucky there would be enough of a give for him to--

Justin’s escape attempts were temporarily brought to a halt as he felt the scarves to his ankles being cut away.

So focused on what he had been doing, Justin had failed to notice Michael pulling a knife out of some unknown location. Within a matter of moments, however, all of the ties had been cut.

His newfound freedom was not lasting, though. For in the same instant that Michael sliced through the last of the scarves, Justin found himself flipped over onto his stomach. He wasn’t sure how it had happened so quickly, but suspected that it had something to do with the chloroform which seemed to be effecting his reflexes slightly.

In his new position, Justin saw the means to his salvation.

A heavy, cast iron lamp sitting innocently on the nightstand.

Struggling forward while Michael rubbed up against him, crooning unintelligibly, Justin reached for the small table side lamp with his left hand, his fingertips brushing against it almost immediately.

“Soon... so soon... take what’s mine....” Michael mumbled, seemingly unaware of what Justin was doing.

Abandoning the lamp for a moment, Justin placed both of his hand down on the mattress near his shoulders, also making sure that his knees were pressed down tightly. Gathering all of his reserves, Justin pushed his upper body off the bed with as much force as he could muster, all the while praying that it would be enough.

Caught unawares, Michael’s body was thrown slightly to the side and off of his captive.

Lunging forward, Justin latched onto the long neck of the lamp and spun around so that he was half crouched, half sitting on the bed.

“You little--” Michael snarled as he righted himself.

The shorter man was thrown backwards once again as Justin swung the lamp at his head. It was the heavy base that connected with his skull, knocking the second-rate mobster unconscious immediately.

Not wasting a second, Justin scrambled to his feet. He fumbled with the knots tied around his wrists with trembling fingers as he scanned the interior of the room for his clothes. While he would not hesitate make his escape in the all together, Justin would much rather be clothed before he took on the rain which he could hear hitting the window. He was just moving onto the second of the scarves when he caught sight of his pants and shirt sitting on a settee next to the large wardrobe, his shoes tossed down next to it.

While he dressed, Justin wracked his brains for a means of actually getting out of the room before Michael awakened. He knew that he had bought himself some time, but was unsure of just how much time that was. Having already put on his pants and shoes, Justin made his way over to the window as he buttoned up his shirt.

Like Brian, Michael also seemed to live in the penthouse suite of a large building.

Except, unlike Brian, this building shared a wall with the one next to it.

The roof of that building ended two floors below the very window Justin was looking out of, a feature which was undoubtedly an escape route for the mobster.

And for Justin.

After haphazardly tucking in his shirt and pulling up his suspenders, Justin opened the window. His face was instantly dampened by a mist of rain which followed the breeze into the room. Justin sat himself down on the ledge of the window and swung around so that his feet were dangling outside rather than in. He gripped the ledge tightly as he slid his body forward, searching with his toes for the small shelf which protruded from the building. After his rear cleared the ledge, Justin was forced to turn his body around so that he could lower himself to the shelf below.

Justin’s feet slipped as they touched down on the slick concrete, his hold on the window ledge tightening in response.

After a few steadying seconds, Justin was able to step down on the shelf

It was at least a ten foot fall from the shelf to the roof below, but the ten foot fall was better than the original fifteen foot one.

Four feet would be better, though.

Being extremely cautious, Justin knelt down on the shelf, a task made even more difficult because the rain kept forcing his bangs down over his eyes.

As he was attempting to figure out a way to lower himself down to the roof below, Justin placed his hand down in a small puddle and slipped. He immediately began to tumble off the narrow shelf.

But caught himself by the barest of margins.

With his momentum stopped, Justin simply released the ledge and dropped easily down onto the roof.

Sparing a quick glance up at the window to make sure that no one had seen his escape, Justin turned and bolted for the other side of the roof and the fire escape that would take him to safety.

And to Brian.

 

(Song credits: 'You Do Something to Me' by Cole Porter)


	12. Decadence

Brian winced as the shot of whiskey burned its way down his throat. Before the sting from the first one had faded, it was followed by another, this time drunk straight from the bottle. Before long half the bottle was blazing down to his stomach.... But Brian felt none of it. Instead he felt completely numb, had since he had come face to face with the charred corpse that had been his lover.

His movements exaggerated, Brian leaned forward and set his bottle down on the table in front of him and suck back deeper into the couch. Almost immediately, Brian’s eyes drifted over the unfinished painting propped up against the wall opposite him.

A painting that Justin would never finish.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Justin,” Brian lamented, leaning forward so that his elbows rested against his knees and buried his face in his hands. “I should have just let you go that first time you disappeared.”

With a groan, Brian pushed himself up off the couch and, scrubbing his fingers through his hair, walked around it and made his way across the room to the great French doors that opened onto the terrace. Even though it was pouring rain, just as it had been since Justin’s funeral, Brian was tempted to go outside and stand out there on the balcony overlooking the city. He could just look out at the harbor and not think about anything. Let the cold soak into him so that he could maybe feel something again.

Brian could faintly hear the elevator and a moment later Liam’s startled shout of, “Boss!” instantly had his attention. Before he could even cross by the dining room table and into the main area of the penthouse, the front door was thrown open and a soaked figure tumbled inside. It spun towards him and then Brian found himself looking into a pair of startling blue eyes that he had never thought to see again.

“Brian!” Justin gasped, swiping his soaked bangs out of his face.

His mind was playing tricks on him. That was the only way that Brian could justify seeing Justin standing there before him. His lover was dead. He had seen.... Brian had seen what was left of Justin after the body had been pulled from the burning building.

Brian started when he felt the hand on his cheek, his entire body jerking. As he looked down, Brian silently considered all of his features, matching them to the image of his lover that he carried in his head. Eyes, mouth, lips, nose... they all belonged to Justin. The only thing that hadn’t been there the last time he had seen Justin was a dark bruise on the right side of his face.

“Justin?” Brian murmured, tentatively reaching a hand up to brush his fingers against Justin’s cheek.

His eyes filling with tears, Justin nodded his head fervently. “I’m so sorry, Bri. So sorry,” Justin moaned as he lifted his other hand to grip at the forearm of the hand that was touching his face.

“Is it really you?” Brian whispered, still not sure whether he should trust his senses after the amount of alcohol he had consumed in the past three days. “I’m not... I’m not dreaming this? You’re really here? Standing in front of me?”

Justin took a step towards him, winding an arm around Brian’s shoulders while continuing to hold onto his forearm. “It’s really me, Brian. I’m right here in front of you. You can feel me, can’t you?”

“It’s a dream,” Brian moaned, squeezing his eyes shut which sent a few tears trickling down his cheek. “Every time I have closed my eyes for the past three days I’ve seen you standing there as you are now. This could be the same as all those times.”

Taking matters into his own hands, Justin lunged up so that his lips came crashing down on Brian’s, leaving no doubt in the other man’s mind that he was real. As soon as he felt the warmth of Justin’s lips against his own, Brian wrapped one arm around Justin’s shoulders, the other clutching at his hip. Brian pulled Justin as close to him as possible, uncaring of the water that seeped into his clothes from Justin’s soaked ones.

“You’re alive. You’re alive. You’re alive,” Brian repeated, gasping the words against Justin’s lips. At that moment, Brian didn’t care how Justin had managed to survive the explosion. Brian started to slip to his knees, taking Justin with him so that they were kneeling on the ground.

The simple fact of the matter was that Justin was alive.

When Brian felt Justin begin to shiver, he pulled away from Justin only far enough to sneak his hands between their bodies in order to unbutton his shirt. He was forced to do it only by touch because Justin was quick to draw him back into a passionate kiss. Brian didn’t care. He just wanted to lose himself inside of Justin, to wipe away the memories of the past few days.

Shoving Justin’s shirt off of him, Brian ran his hands over the chilled skin it revealed. Brian started when he felt Justin’s hands slip under his shirt. His stomach contracted against the cold touch and it was only Justin’s warm breath on his cheek that reminded him that his lover was alive and with him.

Brian carefully lowered Justin down onto his back, making sure to keep his hand on the back of the blonde head to cushion it against the hardwood floor. He pressed his body down against Justin’s, burying his face against the familiar throat.

“I love you,” Brian moaned against Justin’s throat. “I never knew how much till you were gone.... But I never want to feel like that again. Can’t lose you.”

“You won’t,” Justin promised him, snaking his fingers up into his hair and holding his body tight. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Brian nodded his head, pulling back so that he could see Justin’s face. He stared down at the familiar features, lightly stroking Justin’s cheekbone with his left hand, holding himself up on his other arm. Then, keeping his eyes on Justin’s face, Brian began to kiss his way down his lover’s body. He deftly unfastened Justin pants and reached inside to fondle his cock while his mouth was still busy on the smaller man’s nipples. Justin arched against him, letting out little gasp, his hands fumbling for Brian’s hair and latching on.

Kissing his way still lower, Brian allowed his tongue to run over the tip of Justin’s cock. He then began to slide his lips up and down the entire thing, gorging himself on the stiff flesh. Justin’s gasps and moans were music to his ears. A wonderful sound that he could not get enough of.

He was just getting ready to turn his attention to the crack of Justin’s ass and the hidden hole it contained when he felt the blonde’s hands attempting to pull him up. Brian allowed himself to be maneuvered back up Justin’s body so that they were once again face to face. He wrapped his body protectively around the smaller man’s body, wanting to hide him away from anything that could hurt him.

Smiling up at him, Justin eased Brian over and onto his back. Curious as to what he had planned, Brian allowed Justin to do what he wanted. Brian discovered right away that Justin’s fingers had warmed up as the artist began to unbutton his shirt with an aching slowness. He was tempted to simply rip it off regardless of the amount he’d paid to have it imported from Paris. Except he didn’t. He allowed Justin to move at his own pace, reveling in his touch.

Brian cried out as Justin enveloped his cock in his mouth. His heels skidded off the hardwood, refusing to let him gain any sort of leverage. He barely resisted the urge to thrust up into Justin’s mouth, instead trying to claw his way through the floor as Justin tormented him with his talented mouth.

“Please....” Brian moaned, grabbing at Justin’s upper arms in an attempt to pull him up his body.

Thinking the wrong thing, Justin slid up too far, running his crack along Brian’s dick.

“No,” Brian mumbled, shaking his head.

Justin stared down at him in confusion. “What are...?”

Reaching down, Brian wrapped his fingers around Justin’s hard cock. “Want you. Inside me.”

“Are you sure?” Justin murmured, his fingers playing with the damp strands of Brian’s hair.

“Go into the top right drawer of my desk and get the little jar of cream,” Brian instructed. When Justin moved to follow his orders, Brian felt a sudden bolt of panic overtake him and gripped his hips tightly. “No. Wait. Don’t.”

“Brian?”

“Can’t lose you again,” Brian insisted, holding him even tighter. Probably tight enough to bruise.

“I’m not going anywhere, Bri. That’s a promise,” Justin whispered, leaning down to pepper Brian’s face with light kisses.

That time he let Justin go, but kept contact with him the whole time. The desk was close enough to the door so that even when he could no longer reach Justin with his hand, he could still run his foot along the blonde’s calf. Could still feel him. Know that he was there.

And as long as he could feel him, he knew that Justin was really there.

It took far too long for Justin to get back to him. As soon as he was close enough, Brian lifted himself up on one elbow and pulled Justin back on top of him. Justin straddled his upper thighs, sliding a hand back into Brian’s hair to hold his head still as he lightly brushed kisses to the corners of his mouth. Brian could hear him fumbling with the lid of the small porcelain jar that contained the clear jelly lubricant.

Brian could see Justin’s hand moving in his peripheral vision and moved to intercept it, getting some of the cool goo on his fingers. Their fingers winding through each other’s, they lubed up Justin’s stiff dick until the blonde was gasping and grunting as he fought not to climax.

Then Brian felt a finger teasing his hole. He cried out at the sensation, his hips arching as that same digit slipped past the tight ring of muscle. Before long a second finger was added and Brian had to bite into his lower lip to keep from screaming and waking Gus up.

“Juss....” Brian whimpered, his shoulders arching off the floor as he tiled his head back as far as he could make it go.

The fingers were gone.

If he’d had any doubts before, Brian knew for certain that Justin was really there as the blunt head of his cock eased into his recently abandoned hole. It had been a very long time since Brian had been on the receiving end of sex, preferring the dominant role. With Justin, however, Brian was willing to make himself vulnerable. He trusted Justin with every aspect of himself, knowing that his younger lover would do nothing to hurt him.

Brian slid his long legs around Justin’s hips, pulling him closer when he seemed to hesitate. There was a moment of awkwardness as Justin got used to being the one in charge of the motions, not wanting to cause Brian any discomfort, but before long they were thrusting easily against each other. As he strained against Justin, Brian reached up and wound his arms around the blonde’s torso, easing the smaller man against completely so that it was only their legs that were not in constant contact. Trapped between their bodies, his cock received all around friction, speeding him towards his orgasm.

Muffling loud cries against each other’s mouths, the two climaxed within moments of each other. Their muscles stiffened for a few long seconds, their bodies forming a living statue that existed for that one moment before they sagged into one another.

Moaning, Brian limply draped his arms around Justin, some of the blonde’s semen trickling out of his hole. “God, I love you,” Brian gasped out, shifting slightly on the uncomfortable floor. “More than you can know.”

Justin turned his head into Brian’s throat, exhaling loudly. “That’s why I had to make sure I got back to you.”

“Tomorrow,” Brian mumbled, shaking his head slightly. “All of that comes tomorrow. Right now nothing is going to exist except us. Just us.”

“Tomorrow,” Justin agreed with a nod.

In the hours that passed, the two continued with their reunion, slowly making their way across the room to the plus carpet in the sitting area where they finally fell into an exhausted sleep some time after midnight.

Brian was awakened during the night when he felt Justin shuddering against him. Rousing himself into full consciousness, Brian rolled over slightly so that he could peer down at Justin’s face in the dim light. His lover didn’t seem to be suffering from any distress except the cold. They were lying close enough to the couch that Brian was able to grab hold of the throw draped over one of its armrests. Making sure to keep himself in contact with Justin the whole time, Brian shook out the throw to drape over their bodies.

Rather than simply waiting for their combined body heat to create a pocket of warmth under the blanket, Brian began to run his hands over Justin’s shoulders, arms and torso to create a friction-induced heat. Justin showed no signs of waking up, but instead snuggled closer to Brian, burrowing himself against the taller man’s side.

Waiting for Justin to settle himself, Brian then wrapped his body around Justin’s slighter one, still not ready to lose touch of his lover. In the few hours that had passed since Justin had been returned to him, Brian had been unwilling to let Justin go far enough away for them not to be able to touch. He needed the contact to reassure himself that it was not a hallucination.

Able to process his thoughts now, Brian too began to shake. He cursed himself for having believed that Justin was dead. He felt that in some way he should have known that Justin was still alive. True, their relationship had only been for three months, Brian had been aware of Justin since that very first night a year ago when Justin had been that near skeletal waif he’d rescued on the docks. Even with all the months between that failed dinner invitation and their second meeting, Brian had been aware of Justin. Catching brief glimpses of him from time to time, but never when he had the opportunity to act on his instinctual desire to approach him.

“You’re staring at me,” Justin yawned, blinking his eyes open. “It’s very distracting.”

“Sorry,” Brian apologized as he leaned over to press a kiss to Justin’s temple. When he moved back, Brian saw Justin’s hand moving up towards him. His eyes went wide at what he caught sight of in the dim light. “Someone hurt you.”

“I’m not hurt in any lasting way,” Justin was quick to assure him, his hand continuing its journey to cup Brian’s cheek. “In any event I bruise far too easily.”

While he allowed Justin to try and soothe him back into sleep, Brian could not erase from his mind the sight of the wide bruise that formed a band around Justin’s wrist. He had foolishly allowed himself to believe that Justin had endured the entire thing unscathed. Considering what he did for a living it was even more naive.

“I never wanted you to be hurt,” Brian told him earnestly. “You were supposed to be protected from my business.”

“Sleep, Brian,” Justin urged, lightly tracing his fingertips over the mobster’s features. “None of this was your fault. I never blamed you for a second.”

Justin continued to murmur a series of nonsensical phrases, wanting to comfort him even though he was the one who had been put through the traumatic experience. He was the one who had been taken from his home, taken away from everyone he knew for a purpose that Brian didn’t even know.

Even so, the combination of alcohol and lack of sleep had Brian dozing off against his will. He fought it as much as he was able, forcing his eyes to remained locked on Justin’s angelic face for as long as possible.

“I love you,” Brian murmured emphatically. “You’re my life. You and Gus. Nothing else matters excepting having you safe and with me.”

“I love you too,” Justin whispered back, brushing a kiss against his forehead. “Now go to sleep. You’ve likely had too much alcohol and not enough sleep or food in the past few days.”

Snuffling slightly, Brian nuzzled his nose against Justin’s. “This should be the other way round. I’m the one that should be looking after you.”

“I already told you, Brian, I’m fine,” Justin promised him. “You’re the one who’s spent the last three days thinking I was dead. That hurt you.”

Brian shook his head slightly. “I’m all right. I’ve been better, but I am all right.”

“You know that I don’t believe that for a moment,” Justin grinned, his smile unbelievably bright in the moonlight. “Despite what you may like to think, you’re incredibly emotional. You feel things very deeply. It’s one of the things I love about you.”

Brian continued to fight off sleep to no avail. Justin’s gentle touch eased him into sleep on the floor between the couch and the ottoman, wrapped around his lover. It would undoubtedly be a long while before he was able to let Justin go out of arm’s length. So he fell asleep holding Justin tight to him.

And awoke not long after the sun rose to still find Justin wrapped up in his arms.

He stared over at Justin’s peaceful face, a smile lighting his features as he realized that it hadn’t been a wonderfully vivid dream.

“I’m glad that you’re home,” Brian said quietly, reaching out a hand to stroke Justin’s cheek. “However it happened, I’m glad that you’re home.”


	13. Decadence

Instinctively, Justin began to panic when he realized that he had fallen asleep. He wasn’t supposed to let himself fall asleep.

Then he felt familiar fingers smooth through his hair, caressing him lightly. Hands that he had fantasized about since the intruders had burst into his small apartment. A touch that he had fought so hard to get back to.

“God, I love you,” the owner of the gentle fingers murmured, lips moving against his forehead. “Won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.”

Justin turned into Brian’s embrace, winding his arms around his lover’s strong frame. “Love you too. Didn’t--”

“Dadda, you down here?” Gus shouted from the top of the stairs.

A large smile lit Brian’s features and wiggled out of Justin’s arms so that he could sit up. “I’m down here, Sonnyboy. Bring Roger down with you so that Marco can take him for his walk.”

While Brian had been talking, Justin shuffled around and sat up so that he was leaning against the front of the couch. He made sure that the throw was covering their lower bodies so that Gus wouldn’t be treated to a sight of the both of them in the all together. As he heard the little boy stomping down the stairs, chatting happily with his dog who was charging ahead of him, Justin turned his head so that he could see Gus the instant he rounded the corner to the final two steps.

Roger was the one who came tearing down first, bypassing Justin in favour of rushing to the door and barking in order to be let out. Then a small hand latched onto the end of the railing wall and a dark tousled head appeared, the little hazel eyes going wide with shock.

“JUSTIN!”

As much as Justin would have liked to meet Gus half way and scoop the little boy into his arms, in his current state of undress he was forced to remain seated while the miniature version of his lover fairly flew across the living room. He had his arms open by the time Gus was rounding the back of the couch, able to catch the kid who threw himself at Justin.

“Yer not gone! Dadda, Justin’s not an angel like Momma! He’s not gone! He’s not gone!” Gus cried into Justin’s throat. The dark-haired boy was clutching at him with as much strength as he could muster and Justin was holding onto him just as tightly.

“I didn’t mean to make you think that I was gone,” Justin moaned against the top of Gus’ head.

For the first time since his return, Justin allowed himself to give into the emotions that he had been holding at bay since he’d stumbled into the penthouse the night before. Everything that he had refused to let himself feel. And while he didn’t want to break down in front of Gus, Justin knew that he wouldn’t have much of a say in a few minute’s time.

Realizing this, Brian scooped his son out of Justin’s arms and held the whimpering boy against his chest. “Easy there, Sonnyboy, you’re going to smother poor Justin if you keep squeezing him like that. I promise you that he won’t go anywhere if you let him go a moment.”

Justin glanced over at Brian when he said that, but didn’t comment. It was hard not to notice that Brian hadn’t stopped touching him since that first desperate embrace the night before. Brian had always been touching him in some way, even in his sleep Brian had been holding onto him.

Giving Brian a grateful look, Justin did his best to calm down. He didn’t want to break down in front of Gus. Justin had managed to hold it together with Brian, comforting his lover when he seemed about ready to shatter into a million pieces, but with Gus it was completely different. Gus was just a little boy who had no idea what was going on. Who knew nothing of the politics of his disappearance.

“Did the bad men make you go ‘way?” Gus asked, sniffling slightly as he wiped away the tears that were still falling. “Did they hurt you like they hurt Dadda?”

“They hurt me a little bit, but I’m all better now,” Justin promised him, reaching over to take Gus back into his arms.

“You’re really all better?” Gus pressed, staring up at Justin’s face intently.

Justin nodded his head solemnly. “I’m really all better. Your dad made sure of it. He spent all night making sure that I was better.”

“Did you fix Dadda’s arm too?”

“I tried to, but it’s going to take a little time,” Justin told the little boy, his eyes momentarily darting over to Brian’s bandaged arm.

“But you’ll fix him, right?” Gus demanded earnestly.

“I’ll make your dad all better. That’s a promise,” Justin assured him, a smile lighting his face when he saw Gus nod his head in approval.

Gus was silent then, snuggling himself deeply into Justin’s chest and clutching at his upper arm. He continued to wiggle around, sniffling occasionally and reached his free arm out to pull Brian closer so that all three of them were cuddled together. Within moments, Gus was chatting away happily, telling Justin the things he had seen at the park the day before.

For all intents and purposes, it was just like any other morning.

But so much had changed in the past three days and there was no way it would ever go back to how it had been before.

“Why don’t you go see if Emily will make us some breakfast,” Brian suggested when Gus’ narrative reached a lull.

In the next instant, the little boy scrambled off his lap and stood to one side after nearly tripping over the men’s entwined legs. “I’m gonna go tell Uncle Ben that the bad men don’t have Justin anymore.”

“And tell him that I’ll want to see him later,” Brian called after Gus who was already bouncing towards the door.

“Kay!” Gus shouted over his shoulder as he reached up to twist the doorknob.

As Johnny reached in the shut the door, Brian motioned him forward. “Have Ben take Gus out for breakfast. But not at the diner. I don’t want anyone to know that Justin’s alive yet. Not until after the meeting with the five families.”

“Got it, boss,” Johnny nodded. A smile appeared on his face as he glanced down at Justin. “Nice to see you’re still among the living, kid. For his sanity, try to keep it that way.”

“I’ll do my best, Johnny,” Justin grinned, waving at the other man as he closed the door.

Once the door was shut tight, Justin untangled their legs so that he could straddle Brian’s waist. He wound his arms around his lover’s shoulders and held himself as close as possible to him. Justin knew that if he was going to tell Brian what he knew he had to that he would need the contact. Something to ground him to the present.

Justin leaned in still further as Brian began to trail his fingers along his spine. “I saw you that night.... After the explosion. I looked out of the back of the window and there you were... running into the building even though it was on fire.”

“I thought you were in there. Trapped.... I would have done anything to get you out of there,” Brian murmured into the top of his head. “When they brought out that body wearing your suit and with your bag.... I died. My world had been stolen from me and the only reason I didn’t crumble into dust was because I knew I had to be there for Gus.”

“I’m so sorry,” Justin sniffled against the side of Brian’s throat. “I would have gone home with you if I’d known....”

“It’s not your fault,” Brian insisted, holding Justin even tighter. So close that the only thing keeping them from being a single entity was their separate skins. “It’s my fault. It’s my.... I should have just let you go. I should have....”

Justin held Brian tightly, trying to hold him safe from what had happened during those three horrible days. “You didn’t do anything, Brian. None of this was your fault. I never blamed you for a second, I swear. The only person who did any of this was that second rate mobster, Michael Novotny.”

In that moment, Justin could almost hear the thing inside of Brian breaking. Not in the way he’d momentarily shattered the night before, and was still sort of shattering, but separating himself and letting his anger take over. All of his muscles were tense and Justin was sure that the only thing keeping him from throwing or hitting anything was the fact Justin was still holding onto him.

“What did he do to you, Justin?” Brian demanded, his soft touch contradicting the harsh tone of his voice.

“It doesn’t matter,” Justin tried to protest. “It’s over and I’m fine. Nothing that he did had any lasting effect.”

“Justin.”

It was the desperation in Brian’s voice that got to him. Justin bowed his head, unable to meet his lover’s eyes. He knew what he was going to tell Brian, but wasn’t sure that he would actually be able to tell the other man just what had happened in that small basement room. In truth, Justin didn’t even want to think of it again and would have been content to just pretend that it had never happened.

“It’s not that big a deal, Brian,” Justin insisted feebly. “Nothing that hasn’t happened before.”

“Justin, you’re not making this any easier,” Brian pleaded, his voice thick with pain. A pain that Justin couldn’t bear.

“He wanted to use me to hurt you,” Justin admitted, his eyes still locked on Brian’s chest. “He was going to.... He wanted.... He was going to make you think you were going insane by making you think you were seeing me from time to time. At restaurants or parties or speak easies...”

Silence hung heavy in the room and Justin began to panic, momentarily thinking that Brian could believe that he would do such a thing.

“I would never do something like that, Brian. You have to believe me!” Justin cried, clutching at Brian’s upper arms and finally meeting his eyes. “I wouldn’t be able to do anything that would hurt you. I would rather die first! Brian, please tell me that you believe me. Please....”

“Shhhhh....” Brian shushed, awkwardly lifting his arms to cup Justin’s face. He ran his thumbs along Justin’s cheeks, wiping away the tears that were rapidly beginning to fall. “Calm down, Justin. I know that you would never do something like that. It’s not in you.”

Justin let out a shuddering breath, clinging tightly to Brian. “I could never hurt you. It didn’t matter what he did, I would never agree to hurt you.”

For several long minutes, Justin and Brian simply sat there, clutching at each other. Several times, Justin began to panic all over again, his mind unwillingly forced back to what had happened in that dim basement room.

Hands holding him immobile.

His face pressed into the thin pillow.

Hot breath against his throat.

Then someone was gently rocking him back and forth. Brian’s arms were around him, holding him safe as he murmured nonsensical words of comfort in his ear. Justin hated that he wasn’t in control of himself. He had been in a similar situation so many times before and he had always been able to put it behind him with barely any effort.

“Michael is going to die for what he put you through,” Brian promised him, his voice void of anything even remotely soft or sympathetic. “I killed his father for trying to take Gus away from me and Michael did something much worse. He actually did take you away from me, even if it was only for three days.... He even had the nerve to show up at your funeral. He stood there with the other family heads giving me his condolences knowing full well that you were alive and....”

As Brian’s anger continued to escalate, Justin was unsure whether or not he should tell him the rest.

“How did you manage to get yourself free?”

“I hit him over the head with a table lamp and climbed out the window,” Justin answered, hoping that would be enough for Brian.

Ducking his head down, Brian sought out Justin’s eyes in order to hold his gaze. “There’s more, isn’t there? Something you’re not telling me.”

“You already have your mind set on killing him. There’s no need for me to further that determination,” Justin protested, trying to look away from his lover’s penetrating gaze. “He will be dead no matter what I say at this point.”

Brian’s features softened and he lightly smoothed his fingers through Justin’s rumpled hair. “I will not force you to tell me anything you do not wish to, Justin. It is only my hope that whatever is said with help to ease you and lessen the memories of what happened.”

“It’s nothing that I haven’t been through before,” Justin said, trying to make light of it. “Now come, we are both in desperate need of a bath. My jaunt in the rain last night only temporarily hid the fact that I haven’t bathed in several days.”

Despite his visible hesitance, Brian allowed Justin to lead him upstairs to the master bathroom that joined onto the mobster’s bedroom. While Brian lingered in the doorway, Justin began to fill the tub with warm water, pouring some French oils into the churning water.

A sudden thought occurred to Justin as he caught sight of his naked and slightly bruised form in the massive mirror on the opposite wall.

“I no longer have a place to live or anything beyond the clothes I had on,” Justin mused, his lips curling up slightly in bizarre amusement. “I’ve gone completely back to where I started a year ago when I bolted out of here.”

“Of course you have a place to live,” Brian countered, crossing the room to embrace Justin from behind.

Dropping his head back onto Brian’s shoulder, Justin stared up at his lover. “I may not have seen much of the fire, Brian, but I saw enough to know that my apartment was completely destroyed.”

“I’m not denying that. One of the floors almost collapsed on my head... but that’s not what I meant,” Brian murmured as he ran his fingers over Justin’s stomach. “I want to wake up every morning and see you lying on your side of the bed. Go to bed every night with you beside me, in my arms. I want to share my life with you from this moment on.”

Justin slid out of Brian’s arms, twining the fingers of both hands through Brian’s. “Are you asking me to marry you, Brian Kinney?”

Brian’s flabbergasted look had Justin doubled over in laughter. He would have slid completely to the ground had Brian not continued to clasp his hands tightly.

“Don’t worry, Brian, I have no illusions about our relationship,” Justin assured him, pulling himself forward so that they were standing with their chests pressed together. “Our union may be tolerated, but I hardly think that the Pope would consent to allowing two men to wed.”

“Who said that we need the Pope’s consent?” Brian inquired, arching an eyebrow.

At the sight of that finely formed brow arching, Justin let out a loud groan. “Oh no. It’s not going to happen.”

Brian let out a mock gasp, his shock quickly displaced by a grin. “What are you talking about? Don’t you want to marry me?”

“That’s not the point,” Justin informed him, standing up on tiptoe to brush a kiss against Brian’s lower lip. “I simply refuse to marry you so that you can piss off the Catholic church.”

Brian nodded his head slightly, his expression becoming more serious. “Well what if I asked you to live with me and help me raise my son?”

“I’d say that it’s a very serious offer and that you should be completely sure that it’s what you want,” Justin clarified, holding Brian’s gaze as he spoke and in the moments that followed while Brian took what he said to heart.

Lifting their joined hands, Brian ran the back of his fingers over Justin’s cheeks. “In case you missed it earlier, Justin, I told you that I felt as though my world had collapsed in on itself when I thought you were dead. Our relationship is only three months old, but I know for a fact that I want it to continue for as long as there is breath in my body.”

“That’s very romantic,” Justin grinned, at a complete loss for how to respond otherwise.

“So do I get an answer?”


	14. Decadence

“I am glad that you were all able to take the time to be here today.”

Standing at the head of the table, Brian stood with ease as he held the gaze of each of the four other men one at a time. He gave nothing away in his expression, not even when he looked at Michael Novotny. The gash on the side of the smaller man’s head was very telling, but Brian didn’t react to it outwardly even though he knew that it was Justin to cause the wound. His anger soared as he thought of the desperation that Justin must have felt when he was trying to escape. Brian knew that there was a lot more to the tale that he didn’t know yet, but he had every confidence that it would soon change.

“Am I right to assume that this meeting is about the fire from last week?” Anthony Sorelli mused, leaning back in his chair. Sorelli was a dark-eyed Italian whose black hair was beginning to show signs of age at his temples. “The one that killed your lover.”

Pursing his lips, Brian nodded solemnly. “The fire that was purposely set to kill my lover.”

“‘Tis a very severe accusation,” Aidan O’Fallon stated, his ruddy features hardening. “I trust that ye have the evidence to back i’ up.”

“You know I wouldn’t have set up this meeting if I didn’t,” Brian countered with a confident smirk. “I know for a fact that the fire was deliberately set. What I am still unsure about is who set it.”

“Then how do you know it was one of us?” Michael protested, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. 

Brian rubbed at his jaw while focusing his attention on the man who had taken Justin from him. “Really, Michael. Didn’t your father teach you anything? I know that you have not been in charge of your territory as long as the rest of us, but I would have thought that even you knew that nothing like that happens without one of us being responsible. Now I want to know who is responsible for this fire.”

Stephen Montgomery, the fifth man sitting at the table, idly swished the whisky around in his glass. “I can understand why ye are upset, Brian, but ye are acting as though it was yer son that was killed. We have all lost mistresses an’ girlfriends o’er the years--”

“Justin was more than that!” Brian growled, glaring at the aging Irishman. “Justin was the same to me as Abigail is to you. The difference is that I was not able to marry Justin. Instead he was stolen from me and I will know who did it.”

The silence following Brian’s angry outburst was deafening. There was no even the clinking of glasses being set down on the table as the four other men shared glances. Already knowing what he was looking for, Brian could easily spot Michael’s guilt. While the expressions on the other men’s faces was questioning, Michael’s guilt was obvious in the way his eyes darted about rapidly.

“Now the way I see it,” Brian said as he dropped down casually into his chair at the head of the table, “the most likely candidate for Justin’s murder is the one who had the most to gain by me being distracted.”

“We all have something to gain when another is distracted,” Anthony pointed out, reaching for his glass of merlot. “It’s how we expand our territories.”

Brian gave the man a pointed look. “I learned my lessons in mob fundamentals many years ago. Mr. Donnelly made sure of that when I was still a boy.”

Aidan O’Fallon chuckled quietly, the sound devoid of any amusement. Of all the men at the table, O’Fallon was the only one whose temperament Brian did not trust. “Tha’ may be true, but each o’ us here have been raised fer this since birth. Hardly seems fair t’ me that a penniless Mick is th’ one who ‘olds the most power.”

“Bite yer tongue, Aidan,” Stephen chastised, his years of experience silencing the angry man. “In case ye be fergettin’, you an’ I were also once a pair o’ penniless Micks. Now Joseph believed Brian to be capable o’ runnin’ his territory an’ I fully agree wi’ him.”

Brian nodded his appreciation to the aging mobster. Only a few years younger than Mr. Donnelly had been when he’d died, Stephen Montgomery had been the only one not to protest Brian’s inheritance of the waterfront territory four years before. Many years before, when Brian had first been learning about the business that he was unknowingly being groomed to run, Mr. Donnelly and Stephen Montgomery had formed an alliance of sorts based on their mutual respect for one another. It had been a relief to Brian when he had discovered that some of that respect had carried over to Brian in the wake of his father-in-law’s death.

“You still haven’t told us how you’ve come to decision that one of us is behind the fire,” Anthony Sorelli reminded him, bringing the conversation back on track. 

Brian relaxed still further into his high backed chair, staring at Michael for several long moments before responding to the middle-aged Italian. “I have every intention of proving my point, have no fear. I just wanted to make sure that I had everyone’s full attention.”

“Well ye have our attention, boyo, so let’s get to it,” Stephen said, raising his glass of Irish whiskey to Brian in silent toast.

“I still say this is a waste o’ time,” Aidan grumbled into his whisky.

“I’ll remind you of that when it’s your wife that’s murdered,” Brian hissed with a mocking smile. “Until then you will show me the respect I’m due and answer to the charges I’m laying before you.”

Then, in no uncertain terms, Brian laid out all of the information Ben and Renaldo had been able to dig up in the days following the explosion in Justin’s building. 

The men who had shadowed his moves that day.

The single shipment of explosives that had arrived at one of the few docks that weren’t controlled by one of the five families the previous week; an order for a private individual.

Every other person who lived in Justin’s building being herded to a nearby warehouse less than an hour before the explosion

The list went on and on, having become quite extensive following Justin’s escape and a defection among some of Michael’s men. The morality of the situation had not been a factor in their decision to turn against their former employer. Almost to a man it had been a fear or reprisals that had loosened their tongues. Brian’s reputation was great and having seen the extent of his grief at Justin’s funeral none of them had wanted to risk his wrath.

The reward for their information was the ability to leave Pittsburgh under their own power and with their families.

Michael wouldn’t be that lucky.

After what he had done to Justin, Brian would not allow Michael to escape with his life. He doubted that the other family heads would protest his action, knowing that there was no a man among them who took Michael seriously. It was his father Charles that had been the respected one. A man that Brian himself had respected before he had tried to take Gus away from him in the wake of Lindsay’s death.

“I have a feelin’ that ye have a suspect in mind,” Stephen murmured after Brian had fallen silent.

“I have suspicions, yes,” Brian confirmed with a slight nod. “I would like to hope that I was wrong, but I’m not convinced that I am.”

“You’ve been awfully quite, Michael,” Anthony spoke up, glancing across the table at the sullen Italian. “What is your say in all of this?”

Michael glanced around nervously, fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve. “I think that Brian is overreacting. Getting all worked up over a blonde piece of boy ass when we all have other things to worry about.”

Brian arched an eyebrow, idly scratching at his chin. “A blonde piece of boy ass?”

“You can not expect us to believe that you would keep him for any other reason,” Michael snorted, suddenly bolstered by a surge of confidence. “The boy does not understand anything of our business. He honestly thought--” Realizing all too late what he had said, Michael sat back in his chair, flushing slightly.

To everyone else the message was perfectly clear. 

Michael Novotny had been behind the murderous explosion less than a week before.

“Is there something you wish to share, Michael?” Brian said in an almost casual tone. “Perhaps the reason behind that obvious injury to your face?”

“What does it matter?” Michael demanded shrilly, his eyes darting about in a panic. “You already know the truth and I am dead because of it. I kidnapped your little artist to use against you. Made you think that he was dead and took him against his will just for the thrill of it. Is that the type of confession that you were looking for? But I’m sure that he’s already told you everything, hasn’t he? How I had him stripped and held down so that I could take him right there in that dingy little room. Or when I drugged him and tied to my bed. Does it make you crave him more knowing that he endured it all for your sake? He gave himself up for you, so that you and your little spawn would be safe from--”

The second time, Michael’s speech was cut off against his will. 

And for the final time.

In his mind, Brian had wanted to make Michael suffer as long as possible. Had wanted him to pay for every moment of agony Justin had endured. At the same time Brian had known that he would never be able to carry off such a plot. That type of violence was simply not in him. Nor would Justin have allowed for such a thing to take place. However, Brian would have made the effort had Justin truly been taken from him.

So in the end it was a single bullet that ended the life of Michael Novotny.

The gun, concealed under the table before the meeting, was the same one that had killed Michael’s father.

“Michael was right,” Brian spoke into the shocked silence that followed. “I was fully aware that he was the one who had set out to make me believe that Justin was dead. The body of some unfortunate young man dressed in the same suit Justin had been wearing was left to be disfigured in the fire. My lover was carted off to one of Michael’s warehouses and locked away below ground. He was then transported yesterday to Michael’s home where he was somehow able to escape. I’m still not sure on the details of that adventure suffice to say that it ended with Justin appearing at my door late last night.”

“You know full well that we are not to be armed in these meetings,” Anthony chastised, his voice lacking any real malice.

“I think you’ll agree with me that this was an extenuating circumstance,” Brian said as he set the gun down on the table. “Michael had planned on torturing me with fleeting glimpses of my supposedly dead lover. To what end, I don’t know, except that he had full intentions of doing it. So I took matters into my own hands and finished with things Michael once and for all to ensure that my family would be safe.”

The meeting was finished in short order after that. The four remaining men made quick work of dividing Michael’s territory amongst themselves and departed.

Brian was the last to leave. He remained seated in his chair long after his three associates had departed, unable to wrap his mind around what Michael had revealed in the last minutes of his life. Brian now knew what it was that Justin had been hiding from him.

Rising from his chair with an earth shaking sigh, Brian moved around the table to stand beside the corpse of the man who had threatened to shatter his world. The red divot in the center of his forehead assured Brian that he would be unable to cause any more damage.

“You should have learned from you father’s mistake,” Brian murmured, reaching past the body to snatch up the still full glass of wine sitting on the table. Then, after raising it in a silent toast to whatever forces had returned Justin to him, downed it in a single gulp. “Perhaps in your next life you will learn not to take what does not belong to you.”

Then Brian left the warehouse, desperate to have Justin in his arms once again to ensure that he was really all right. That he was safe and whole and that Michael had not caused him any lasting pain. Beyond that, Brian simply wanted to be back with Justin. It would be late by the time he returned to the penthouse and Gus would be sound asleep. That meant that he and Justin would once again be alone to re-christen their life.

“Get the clean up crew here to deal with this little mess,” Brian said to Johnny as he exited the warehouse. “I don’t care what they do with the body, but I don’t want to see it ever again.”

As he emerged from the alley, Brian sucked in a huge lungful of fresh air. Brian desperately needed to cleanse himself of what had happened during that meeting. It had been several years since Brian had taken a life with his own hands but the act still made him feel uncomfortable in his own skin.

That feeling of uncleanliness only increased when he stepped into the penthouse and caught sight of Justin curled up on the couch with a sketchbook resting on his drawn up knees. 

“Brian, what’s wrong?” Justin demanded, rising instantly from the couch and rushing across the short distance that separated them.

Before Justin could get too close, Brian took a step back, silently indicating that he didn’t want to be touched. “I, um... I need to have a bath?”

“Oh,” Justin murmured, his entire face falling. “Do you... do you maybe want some company?”

“Actually, I’d just rather be by myself,” Brian told him, glancing everywhere but at Justin. He then moved around Justin and made his way towards the stairs. “I’ll be back down soon.”

Justin was silent until Brian had nearly reached the stairs. His voice was very quiet and hesitant and Brian almost hadn’t heard him.

“What did you say?” Brian asked as he turned back around to face Justin who was standing with his hand resting on the doorknob.

“I said that I was going to go,” Justin repeated, glancing down and to his left. 

“Go where?”

Justin shrugged slightly, still not meeting Brian’s eyes. “I’m not sure.... I’ll think of something. I always do.”

For a few endless moments, Brian could only stand there and watch. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that Justin was going to leave. Even as the door was being opened, Brian couldn’t fully comprehend what was happening. Then Justin disappeared from sight as he walked through the door.

In a sudden panic, Brian realized that he might never see Justin again.

“Justin, wait!” Brian shouted, bolting across the room and out into the hallway. “Justin!”

The blonde had barely even turned around before Brian had him in his arms. He held Justin tight against his chest, face burrowed against his lover’s throat. Brian let out a sigh of relief when he felt Justin’s arms go around his shoulders.

“Please don’t go. Please don’t go,” Brian mumbled into Justin’s skin. “I can’t lose you again, Justin. I know what he did and I don’t care. That bastard is dead now so it doesn’t matter any longer. It never mattered. I swear. It never mattered. I love you so much. Don’t go. Please....”

“I won’t, Brian, I promise,” Justin whispered, his fingers sliding up into Brian’s hair.

A short while later, the two were upstairs in the master bathroom soaking in the massive sunken in tub that stood prominently in its center. Brian sat against one of the narrower sides with Justin sitting between his spread legs, back resting firmly against the taller man’s chest.

“Do you think you could take some time off work?” Brian said, his lips brushing against Justin’s damp shoulder. “A few months at least. Maybe a little more.”

Justin tilted his head back until their eyes met. “Are you trying to turn me into a kept man?”

“Tempting as that is, I would never ask you to give up your job if you didn’t want to,” Brian assured him, nudging Justin’s temple with his nose. “What I was actually planning was a trip to Europe so that you can see the works of the great masters in their home galleries.”

“Brian, you don’t need to--”

Brian lifted his hand which had been previously stroking Justin’s stomach and brought it to his lips, silencing his protests before they could begin. “This is happening, Justin. I’d arranged it before all of this happened. I want this for you, me and Gus. I want the three of us to experience it all together.... If you want to come, that is.”

In the next instant, Brian was nearly drowned as Justin spun around in his arms, upsetting their delicate balance. Crouching overtop of him, Justin held Brian’s face in his hands, a wide smile splitting his features.

“That’s a yes, I take it,” Brian grinned, sliding his hands up and down Justin’s slick sides.

Justin’s smile grew impossibly wider, his eyes alight. “That’s a yes.”


	15. Decadence

There was no rational explanation for what he was doing. Even Justin himself could not rationalize it except to say that it was something he needed to do. Brian had protested long and hard, but in the end had conceded that it was ultimately Justin’s choice and allowed him to go only after promising that he would take Johnny with him.

Which was how Justin found himself walking silently through the cemetery towards “his” grave. He was dressed in a pair of grey slacks and a white collarless shirt, the clothes having been saved by virtue of their placement in Brian’s closet. Justin hadn’t realized just how many things he had actually kept at his lover’s until they became the only belongings he had left. A few changes of clothing, some books, a pocket watch that his grandfather had given him, various little trinkets he’d though would amuse Gus and, of course, his sketchbooks and drawings. While a great many of the works had been lost in the fire, it surprised Justin just how many of them had survived from being left behind in the penthouse.

As he neared the monument which bore his name, one which would soon have a new inscription in honour of the man who lay buried beneath it, Justin caught sight of a figure sitting before it. The hair and clothing indicated that it was a female, but it was one that Justin didn’t know. The style and cut of her clothes was of a higher range of middle class, a type of person Justin had not associated with since he was still living with his parents. Her shoulders were shaking and the wind carried the hitching sound of her sobs over to where he stood.

“I hope you’re not wasting your time crying over the man who’s name is on the headstone,” Justin remarked casually as he approached the young woman who continued to succumb to her grief.

At least that was what she had been doing until he spoke. The words were barely out of his mouth when she whirled around, the motion carrying her to her feet so that she stood glaring at him, his dark eyes filled with anger.

“How dare you say such a thing. He was my brother and I loved him dearly,” she hissed, taking a step backwards so that she was able to brush her fingers over the pristine marble.

“Molly?” Justin gasped, desperately searching her features for any signs of the little girl that he had not seen for seven years. 

When he’d last seen his sister she’d been dressed in a nightgown, her blonde hair braided in two pigtails, as she stood at the top of the staircase, watching Justin’s final departure from the house with frightened eyes. She’d been nine years old at the time and at sixteen there was very little of that little girl left. Her eyes were the same, though, and when he saw them widen in shock Justin knew that he was looking at his little sister.

“Justin?” Molly whispered, turning her head to gaze at the inscription on the monument before looking back over at him. “But you’re... In the paper it said....”

Giving up on speech, Molly sprinted the short distance that separated them and threw herself into her brother’s arms. Justin wrapped his eyes around her waist, holding her slight form tight against his chest. He couldn’t believe that he was seeing his sister again after so long. True they had been living in the same city the entire time, but Justin had never felt confident enough to search her out.

“You’re alive! Oh thank God, Justin, you’re alive!” Molly sobbed as she sunk her fingers into his hair. She continued to clutch at him for a few more moments before wiggling back down, backing up so that she could see his face. “What... what happened? How come you’re not dead? Why would you let anything think you were dead? And who is that man standing over there?”

“That’s Johnny,” Justin responded immediately, wanting to get the easy question out of the way. “He’s baby-sitting me. As for the rest, that’s... complicated.”

Molly took another step back, holding her hands out beside her. “Then explain it to me. I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

“Molly--”

“Justin, no,” she protested, cutting him off immediately. “I’m not a little girl anymore, I can handle the truth.”

Reluctantly, Justin nodded his head. “You’re right, you’re not a little girl anymore. You’re practically a woman. But there are still some things that are better left unknown. It’s just safer that way sometimes.”

“It’s because you’re seeing that mobster, isn’t it?” Molly accused, daring her brother to contradict her. “That man is dangerous, Justin. He’s a gangster. You’ve known him for how long and look what’s already happened to you.”

“I’m happier than I’ve ever been,” Justin said defensively. “I have a great life, Molly, and I’m not about to give that up for anything. I won’t be intimidated or scared away from the one thing I’ve always wanted. I have a family now. One that actually wants me.”

“Where does that leave me?” Molly sniffled, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her hands.

“It leaves you as my sister,” Justin told her, pulling her back into his arms. “Someone that I will always love and care about.”

“I love you too,” his sister mumbled into his shoulder.

After Molly had cried out everything she needed to, she allowed Justin to lead her to a nearby bench that they could sit on to talk some more. It had been seven years since they had last seen each other and a great deal had happened to both of them in the time in between. And while there was much of the first six of those years for his part that he wanted to ignore, Justin wanted to know how Molly had fared during that same time.

“Momma died about three years ago,” Molly revealed, frowning slightly at the revelation. “Cancer of the brain, her doctor said. She was only really sick for a few weeks before she died, but the whole time she kept asking Daddy to find you.”

“I’m sorry that you had to lose her, but she hasn’t been my mother in six years,” Justin murmured quietly.

“But she wanted to see you,” Molly protested as though that was all that mattered.

Justin shrugged slightly as he scratched absently at the back of his head. “Then she should have done more than just stand there when he kicked me out.”

“What could she have honestly done, Justin?” Molly demanded angrily.

“Something. Anything. I don’t know.... Look, Molly, I have a new life now. I love Brian. He’s all that I ever wanted in my life and I’m not going to regret anything that happened before. It’s the past and I’ve put it all behind me,” Justin insisted, wishing that he could actually believe his words. In truth there were still parts about the past seven years that had the power to wake him from a sound sleep bathed in sweat.

“Will you at least go to her grave?” the young woman pressed. “Say goodbye to her?”

Justin heaved himself off the bench so that he was standing in front of his sister, looking at the pavement beneath his feet rather than at her. “I said goodbye to her a long time ago, Moll. There would be no point in me doing it a second time.”

“Justin, we’ve got to go,” Johnny spoke up, startling Justin who had completely forgot about the guard’s presence.

For a moment, the artist was confused as to what he was talking about, but when he did remember he cursed silently. “Lunch. Right. I really need to invest in a watch of some sort.” Justin gave his sister an apologetic smile and was about to make an excuse when he realized that he wasn’t ready to walk away from her. “How do you feel about having lunch at the Liberty Diner today?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never been there before,” Molly answered, slightly perplexed.

“And after today you will have,” Justin informed her as he reached a hand out towards her.

Molly seemed reluctant but nonetheless reached out and took hold of Justin’s hand. With Johnny trailing behind them, Justin led Molly to where they’d left the car, one of Brian’s beloved vehicles. It was a true sign that a person had the mobster’s trust when he allowed that person the use of one of his five cars.

“Justin!” Gus shouted as soon as the siblings entered the diner a short while later. The little boy scrambled out of the booth and ran over to Justin, his right hand holding one of Brian’s hats on his head and launched himself into his arms. “Dadda says that we can go get ‘Talian ices after lunch.”

“Is that so?” Justin smirked, repositioning Gus in his arms as he made his way over to the booth where Brian was waiting.

Gus nodded his head vigorously, nearly losing the hat in the process. “Uh huh. I wanna have a razberry one. What kind do you want?”

“I don’t know,” Justin shrugged. He then glanced at Molly over his shoulder to make sure that she was following him. “What kind do you want, Moll?”

“Who’s that?” Gus asked, pointing a finger in Molly’s direction before she had a chance to answer.

Next to the booth by this time, it was Brian who spoke next. “I wouldn’t mind knowing that answer myself.”

Handing Gus back to his father, Justin motioned for Molly to slide into the empty booth before sitting down next to her. “Brian, Gus, this is Molly, my sister. Molly, this is Brian and Gus, my family.”

There was no missing the distinction Justin made between the two. That just because he and Molly were related by blood it didn’t necessarily mean that their relationship was going to be a solid one like his with Brian and Gus was. Justin was naturally closed off, even with his sister, and the young woman would have to regain the trust they had shared as children.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Kinney,” Molly said somewhat nervously, slouching away from Brian’s penetrating gaze.

Still obviously studying his sister, Brian’s eyes never wavered. “Hello, Molly. And it’s Brian. It’s only Mr. Kinney to the people I do business with.”

“And I’m Gustus Joseph Kinney,” the boy announced, his small chest puffing out with pride. “I’m named after my Grampa.”

“Is that so?” Molly grinned, leaning forward towards the kid. “Did you know that Justin’s named after our grandfather too?”

Gus perked up, kneeling on the seat. “Really? Was your grandpa named Justin too?”

“Don’t you dare,” Justin mumbled under his breath, glaring at his sister.

Ignoring him, Molly grinned conspiratorially at Gus. “Nope. Our grandfather’s name was Finnigan.”

Brian turned his head to the side, snorting in amusement. “Justin Finnigan Taylor.”

“Ha ha ha,” Justin scowled, much to Gus’ delight. The kid in the fedora started giggling, chanting “Finnigan” over and over.

Under the table, Justin could feel the tip of one of Brian’s feet brushing against his calf. Justin didn’t react beyond a slight smile. Since his miraculous return from the dead, Justin had noticed that Brian had taken to touching him a lot more than he had in the past. His lover would make sure that their hands would touch if he made a gesture or that their thighs would touch if they were sitting beside each other, anything that would bring them into contact. And while Justin enjoyed the attention, he hated the reason behind it.

“If yer Justin’s sister, does that make you my aunt?” Gus asked Molly as he twirled his spaghetti around on his fork.

Molly nearly choked on her tea, her wide eyes darting immediately to Justin’s. “I, um... I’m.... What do you want me to be?” she eventually answered, glancing between the two men seated on opposite sides of the table.

Pursing his lips to the side, Gus continued to battle the long noodles on his plate. “Well, Justin’s like my other daddy so you could be my aunt. Uncle Ben isn’t really my uncle, but I still call him that so I could call you Aunt Molly even if you really aren’t my aunt.”

The three adults were rendered speechless by Gus’ absent revelation. 

Brian was the first to recover and chuckled quietly, shaking his head slightly. “Looks like you’ve got yourself an aunt, Sonnyboy.”

Even though the comment had appeared very casual, Justin alone knew just how serious the statement had been. Brian didn’t let just anyone near Gus and those protective urges had spiked in the wake of Justin’s faked death. It still amazed Justin that he’d been allowed out on his own that morning.

When it came time for the trip to the docks for the promised Italian ices, Molly declined going with them. Justin was upset, but didn’t press her to join them, only setting up a lunch meeting later in the week.

“I’m still waiting to find out who you feel about meeting up with your estranged sister,” Brian murmured as they walked side by side along the docks, Gus bouncing from one plank to the next a few feet in front of them. 

Justin glanced out into the harbor, sinking the fingers of his left hand into his hair and pulling at it. “I don’t know. I mean... I’m glad that I saw Molly today. I missed her a lot, but it’s... it’s weird. Seeing her again. But I’m also nervous about getting close to her again because it’s not just her that I’m opening myself up to again....”

“You’re the one that’s in control, Justin,” Brian insisted, draping an arm across the blonde’s shoulders.

The artist instinctually leaned into his lover’s side, taking comfort from his presence. “Give me another few weeks and I’ll consider believing that. For now I’ll just keep my guard up until I’m ready to deal with my father.”

“Just remember that he doesn’t matter if you don’t let him,” Brian murmured, leaning in to brush a kiss against Justin’s temple.

Brian stayed with them for about twenty minutes longer before they reached his main warehouse where Ben was anxiously waiting for his boss’ arrival. Ben gave no hint about what was going on, but the message was clear.

Something was wrong.

“How do you feel about having Justin all to yourself for the rest of the day?” Brian asked as he crouched down in front of his son.

Gus’ lower lips began to quiver and he pulled the front of the fedora down over his eyes. “But we haven’t had the ‘Talian ices yet. An’ you said that you and me and Justin were going to spend the whole day together.”

“I know I did, Sonnyboy,” Brian murmured apologetically, prodding the brim of his hat up with the tip of his finger so that he could see Gus’ eyes. “But I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

The little boy sniffled a little, but nodded his head just the same. “All right, Dadda.”

Justin crouched down at well and pulled Gus into a sideways hug. “Don’t worry, Gus, we’ll have lots of fun without your dad. We can go back home to get Roger and take him to the park.”

The promise of an afternoon at the park was all that it took to cheer Gus up and Brian looked equally grateful.

“Be careful,” Brian whispered in Justin’s ear as he embraced the smaller man. “Don’t let anything happen to either of you.”

“You know I won’t,” Justin promised, brushing a kiss against the corner of Brian’s jaw. He then took a step back and reached up a hand to his lover’s cheek. “You be careful too. I’d like to keep you around for a while.”

With a final parting kiss, Justin stepped away from Brian and reached out for Gus’ hand. The boy waved shyly at his father and Ben then allowed Justin to guide him away from the warehouse. Even though Gus was easily distracted, already breaking away from Justin to continue with his plank hopping, Justin was nervous. About twenty feet away, Justin turned so that he could see Brian over his shoulder. Brian met his gaze immediately and offered him a tight smile.

“I love you,” Justin mouthed, smiling sadly at him.

The smile on Brian’s face was instantaneous. “Love you too.”

Justin held Brian’s eyes for a few more moments before Gus demanded his attention and he was forced to turn away.


	16. Decadence

“Please tell me that this is just some sick joke,” Brian grumbled, scrubbing his hands over his face. “I don’t have the energy to deal with this right now, Ben.”

“This wasn’t planned, Brian,” his best friend pointed out, slumping down in his chair. “I have better things to do with my time. We have shipments coming in every night this week that we need to get to the distributors. There’s meetings with the union heads and the dock workers.”

Brian glared at Ben as he snaked his fingers into his hair to push his bangs away from his face. “I know all this, Ben. And you’re forgetting that speakeasy we’re setting up in that old warehouse on Tremont.”

“This isn’t the time to be sarcastic,” Ben accused, returning the glare with equal fervor.

“Who’s being sarcastic?” Brian demanded, throwing his arms out to either side. “This is a serious problem, Ben, and I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do. Mr. Donnelly never had to deal with anything like this when I was high enough in the organization to know about it. Or if I was, he hid it from me.... Okay, here’s what we’ll do. Nothing changes. The shipments come in as scheduled, but we beef up security with guys that we know. No new hires. I won’t be separated from my family.”

For the next few hours, Brian and Ben went over every aspect of their operation in detail. It was one thing to keep the inner workings of the business from the local authorities. They had enough guys on their payroll to keep them out of any serious trouble. Federal officers were a completely different matter. That was completely new territory where they were concerned.

It wasn’t as though they were completely unprepared. In the back of his mind Brian had always known that there was a possibility that the Feds would come after him. That had become more of a possibility since Brian and Ben had expanded their operation outside of Pennsylvania and into the surrounding states.

“Get in touch with Mel,” Brian said as rose from his desk. “I want him to set it up so that Justin gets everything if something happens to me. The penthouse, all my legal accounts, the warehouse... and Gus. I don’t want some orphanage coming and taking him away from the only family that he has left.”

“It won’t come to that,” Ben tried to assure him.

Pausing as he slipped into his jacket, Brian smiled sadly at his best friend. “That’s not something you can promise me, Ben. I wish you could, but you can’t.”

“We’ll get through this, Brian,” Ben called after him.

Brian hadn’t realized just how late it was until he stepped out of the warehouse and saw that it was after sunset. Knowing the appetites of both Justin and Gus, Brian knew that he’d missed dinner. Of course he could always count on Justin to have some sort of treat waiting for him. Something to sustain him until the next morning.

“Bring the car home, Liam,” Brian said over his shoulder as the guard fell in step behind him.

“And where are you going to be?” the other man countered, speeding up so that he was walking beside Brian.

“Walking. I need to clear my head.”

Liam arched an eyebrow in his direction, letting Brian know that he wasn’t having any of it. “You know that’s not going to happen, Brian. For one thing, Justin would have my hide if I let you do that.”

“I promise not to squeal on you,” Brian chuckled, grinning over at his guard.

Even though nothing further was said, Brian knew that he’d lost the argument. Liam discreetly slowed his pace so that he was roughly twenty paces behind Brian. Brian knew that he paid Liam and the others to keep him and his family safe, there were other times that Brian resented their presence because it reminded him of the fact that he was the one putting them in danger. There had been many times since Gus’ birth that Brian had questioned whether he’d made the right decisions about his life. Gus would be in danger simply because of who his father was.

Then there was Justin. His lover had already suffered so much because of him. It still amazed Brian that Justin would go anywhere near him after what he had endured. Brian knew that Justin had been raped by Michael, both physically and emotionally, not for anything he’d done, but because of what he represented.

A way to bring Brian to his knees.

The smart thing for Brian to do would be to let Justin go. To give him a chance to have a normal life, without guards and without the constant danger of being the mobster’s lover. But Brian wasn’t strong enough to give up the one thing he had always desired. He would have much rather ripped off a limb.

Brian hesitated slightly as he reached a particular set of warehouses.

Just over a year before Justin had burst from between those two buildings being chased by three street thugs. He didn’t know it then, but in hindsight Brian knew that he had been completely lost from that very moment. From the first instant he’d set eyes on bedraggled blonde, Brian hadn’t been able to get him out of his mind. He had craved Justin from that first night and loved him in the three months they had started to build a life together. A life that Brian would do anything to protect.

Brian nodded at the doorman as he entered Harborview Towers, walking slowly through the grand lobby. On more than one occasion he had returned from a day of meetings to find Justin ensconced in some corner of the lobby sketching either the architecture or the people in it. The staff of the building were so used to seeing Justin in the lobby that he was brought snacks and tea without the blonde having to ask for anything.

“See, you didn’t need to baby-sit me,” Brian smirked as he and Liam stepped into the elevator. “I made it all the way back here without any hint of trouble.”

“Sure, boss,” Liam mumbled, returning his smirk.

When Brian entered his home, he was a little surprised to see that no one was in the living room. At the very least he had expected to see Justin down there either reading, listening to some music or working on his art. The scene that he had expected was a very domestic ones and one that Brian had never thought that he would crave.

Leaving his overcoat and suit jacket on the coat rack by the door, Brian headed deeper into the penthouse in search of his lover and son. He knew that they were somewhere up there because he could hear their laughter echoing down the stairs.

“Sing another song!” Gus cried, clapping his hands madly.

“Another one?” Justin groaned dramatically. “But I’ve sung you six songs already.”

By this time Brian had reached the door to Gus’ bedroom and peered inside. He rolled his eyes slightly when he saw the massive fort that had been created from the sheets on his son’s bed, several chairs and the foot of his bed.

“Pretty please?” Gus pleaded, sniffling slightly for an added effect.

“It’s past your bedtime, Sonnyboy,” Brian said quietly as he entered the room.

“Daaa,” Gus whined, aiming a pout at his father. “One more song, please?”

“Nice try, Sonnyboy, but it’s time for bed,” Brian informed his song, crouching down in front of the pair. “Now say goodnight to Justin and I’ll let you sleep in your fort.”

“Night,” Gus sighed loudly. He then scrambled towards Justin, kissing his cheek, before making his way out of the fort to kiss his father goodnight. “Love you, Dadda. Love you, Daddy.”

Halfway out of the fort, Justin stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes immediately searching out Brian’s. The only thing that Brian could do was hold out a hand towards Justin to help the smaller man to his feet. He figured that it was better for them to not make a big deal of it in front of Gus. If Gus wanted to think of Justin as his other dad, he wasn’t going to take that away from his little boy.

“I’m someone’s dad,” Justin mumbled as he and Brian entered their bedroom. “Am I someone’s dad? Are you okay with this? With Gus calling me ‘dad’?”

Brian grabbed hold of Justin’s shoulders, turning the artist towards him. “I’m glad that Gus has you. I wouldn’t want anyone else to be his other dad. But only if you want to be. I’ll set Gus straight if you only want to be ‘Justin’ to him.”

“I want to be his other dad,” Justin whispered, nodding his head slightly.

“Then that’s what you’ll be.”

Justin’s smile was huge, lighting up the dim room. It made Brian completely forget the stresses of the rest of his day, at least temporarily. In a further search of an end to that desire, Brian made himself vulnerable in a way that he very rarely did except with the man he held in his arms.

Kissing softly, Brian and Justin helped each other from their clothes. It was a very slow process as the pair explored new areas of flesh as they were revealed. Brian paid homage to Justin’s body, spreading his lover out on the bed so that he could reach every inch of the artist. Starting Justin’s throat, Brian worked his way down; sucking, licking, kissing and caressing his way down the front of Justin’s body.

“So beautiful,” Brian murmured against Justin’s right hip, his lips never leaving the warm skin. “So beautiful.”

Justin moaned something unintelligible, his fingers sinking into Brian’s hair, attempting to pull him upwards. Brian willingly allowed himself to be guided by his lover, slithering up Justin’s body so that they were face to face. Holding himself up on his elbows, Brian held Justin’s face in his hands, staring intently at the features that were burned deeply into his mind.

“Everything that I have is yours, now and even after I’m gone,” Brian whispered as he rolled them over so that Justin was stretched out over top of him. “All of me.”

For a moment, Justin stared down at him in confusion. “Brian?”

“You’re everything to me,” the mobster said earnestly. He then shifted his body up the mattress just enough so that Justin’s lower body dropped between his spread legs, his cock nudging beneath Brian’s scrotum. “Everything.”

Justin’s smile was blinding and Brian heaved his upper body off the bed so that he was able to reach his lover’s grinning lips, covering them with his own in a lingering kiss that soon consumed the two of them. The kiss continued on even as Brian fumbled on the nightstand for the lubricant that would ease Justin’s way into his body. Brian shivered at the mere thought of Justin’s cock forcing its way into his tight hole, stretching him and filling him in ways that would make him ache deliciously for the rest of the night and into the next day.

Brian gasped as his hips were tilted upwards so that Justin could slip more easily into his hole. Then he was nearly bent in two as Justin thrust fully into him.

“I love you. I love you. I love you,” Justin repeated over and again as he and Brian moved against each other, creating a wonderful friction.

The position he was in prevented Brian from returning any sort of endearment and soon, Justin was unable to speak either. Brian pulled Justin’s head to his, ravaging the parted lips that were once again within his reach. Since Justin’s mouth was already open, Brian had no trouble sneaking his tongue into the other man’s mouth in order to duel with the fluttering appendage within. 

Brian quite literally saw stars before his eyes as Justin’s cock throbbed in his rectum in a precursor to his orgasm. It was also enough to send Brian tumbling over the edge into his own climax. For several long moments the two men remained locked in position, their muscles freezing in the height of their climax. Then they collapsed bonelessly into the mattress, gasping for breath and clutching weakly at each other.

“Next time you do the hard work,” Justin moaned into Brian’s chest, his hot breath tickling the mobster’s damp chest.

Managing a weak chuckle, Brian wound his arms around Justin’s torso. “Don’t worry, as soon as I find the energy I promise to plow you into the mattress.”

And he did just that after the two shared a quick nap. Two more times the lovers reached the peaks of passion before exhaustion finally claimed them in the early hours of the morning.

When he awoke some time after sunrise, Brian found himself wrapped around Justin smaller body. His muscles ached wonderfully and if it were up to him he would never move. The only problem was that he knew he would have to move. He still had to make sure that his life wasn’t stolen from him by federal officers.

And take Justin to Emmett’s to buy some new clothes.

His wardrobe was something that Brian had always prided himself on since he had been given his first suit by Mr. Donnelly nearly fifteen years before. In his word, appearances were very important and Brian made sure that he was always dressed impeccably in the latest fashions when he was playing his role as Pittsburgh’s most powerful individual. Therefore when he was out with Justin and Gus, dressed casually, the only thing that distinguished him from the rest of the crowd was his remarkable height.

“I don’t see why I need to get more clothes,” Justin protested as he slipped Brian’s suspenders up over his arms and onto his shoulders. “I have more than enough here to keep me in fresh clothes every day of the week.”

“Casual clothes, yes, but nothing to wear out at night or if we go to New York to take in the culture,” Brian pointed out as he affixed Justin’s collar to his shirt. “Or when we go to Europe later in the fall.”

“I can just imagine the clothes you’re going to buy in France,” Justin teased, smiling broadly. “We’ll have to bring a whole trunk just for your new clothing.”

Brian lightly swatted Justin’s rump then crouched down to grab hold of the blonde’s pants, sliding them up to his waist. “Be nice or I won’t let you buy any artwork over there.”

“Then I’ll just have to make copies of them for myself,” Justin countered as he looped Brian’s tie over his shoulders. He made a great show of tying it wrong, knowing that it would infuriate the brunette, before correcting it and tying a proper knot. Justin then ran his hands down the front of Brian’s shirt, his fingers toying with the small buttons. “Are we really going to be able to go to Europe? I mean, with your business....”

“We’re going to go,” Brian insisted, dropping his forehead against his lover’s. “And we’ll have a marvelous time.”

It was difficult for Brian to completely hide his unease. He was fully aware that Justin knew something was wrong, but couldn’t bring himself to tell the artist what he had learned the day before. Brian didn’t want Justin to worry about something that neither of them would be able to prevent. While Brian would do everything he could to keep the Feds from finding enough information to convict him of the crimes he had been knowingly committing since he was still a boy, there was no guaranteeing that he would be successful.

Pushing all his fears aside, Brian focused his attentions on fending off Emmett’s bizarre fashion tastes.

“I have told you countless times, Emmett, I’m not a French fop from a hundred years ago,” Brian sighed as he watched the effeminate entrepreneur take Justin’s measurements. “Even if I did live back then, I’m Irish. We don’t like all of that frilly lace and ruffles you’re so fond of.”

Emmett grinned wickedly at him over his shoulder. “Then you don’t know what you’re missing, Mr. Kinney.”

Justin merely rolled his eyes before glancing down at Emmett who was setting up to take his inseam.

Once Justin’s measurements were confirmed, Brian and Emmett selected several different styles of suits for Justin to try on, leaving the colour choices to the artist himself. Then came the trips to the fitting room for Justin to try on the various suits. That was what Brian enjoyed most of all. Not only because the suits only enhanced Justin’s natural beauty, but also because he took great pleasure in helping Justin in and out of their potential purchases.

“We would have finished this long ago if you didn’t insist on helping,” Justin teased, his fingers buried Brian’s hair as the mobster slowly buttoned the latest shirt he was trying on, kissing each area of flesh that was about to be hidden before sliding the button through the eyehole.

Straightening his posture, Brian caught Justin’s lips with his own, momentarily forgetting the buttons. “True, but it wouldn’t be this enjoyable.”

“How is this enjoyable?” Justin countered, laughing against Brian’s cheek as he turned his head to the side. “You’ve been teasing me the whole time and not offered me any release.”

“You mean like this?” Brian murmured as he slid his right hand into the still unfastened opening of Justin’s pants, stroking the blonde’s cock through his undergarments.

“Brian....” Justin moaned, leaning into his lover’s touch. 

The moan became a gasp as Brian dropped to his knees and freed Justin’s cock completely before engulfing the tip between his lips. It didn’t take long for Brian to work the organ into full hardness and since an ample tip had coaxed Emmett into closing the store to all but them there was no need for the blonde to stifle his moans of pleasure.

Glancing up at Justin from under his lashes as he sucked more of Justin’s dick past his lips, Brian could only amaze at the expressions of pure love and devotion he could read in Justin’s eyes.

“Love you,” Justin gasped, his body slumping against one of the walls of the small room in the wake of his climax.

Slithering up the lithe form in front of him, Brian nuzzled the side of his lover’s face before sharing the taste of his own semen with Justin. The blonde sucked avidly on Brian’s tongue, clutching at his lover’s hips in a vain attempt to pull their bodies into one being.

Their passion for each other would have consumed them once again were it not for a subtle cough which heralded a sought after jacket being thrust past the curtain which covered the entrance of the small changing room.

“Just so you know, you buy anything you stain,” Emmett informed them as Brian snatched the coat from his outstretched hand.


	17. Decadence

Propping himself up on an elbow, Justin watched over Brian as he slept peacefully beside him. Lately, the only time Brian seemed relaxed was when he slept. Justin knew that something was going on with the business side of his lover’s life despite Brian’s best attempts to keep it from him. Not knowing what was going on, Justin did his best to distract Brian from those troubles whenever he was home so that he could ease some of his lover’s burdens.

It didn’t cross Justin’s mind for a moment that whatever was wrong was something that Brian’s couldn’t handle. Being a mobster was a stressful and very dangerous life despite what the newsreels tended to show. The glamour was in fact very minimal, something Justin had come to realize very early on and set in stone when he had been kidnapped.

“I wish that you would talk to me about what goes on when you leave the penthouse,” Justin murmured, his lips brushing against Brian’s forehead as he spoke. “I’m not fragile. I promise I can handle it. I won’t break.”

He was met only with the sound of Brian’s slightly wheezing breaths. The first time he’d spent the night with Brian, Justin had been alarmed by the sound of it and had immediately woken his lover up, fearing that something was wrong. The something that was wrong turned out to be something that was beyond Brian’s control. There was a problem with his heart that led to his rasping breath which was only noticeable when he slept or exerted himself. Justin had been assured by both Brian and Doc Murphey that it was nothing serious, but there were still times that he tended to worry.

“I don’t hear the ominous sounds of pencil on paper,” Brian mumbled without opening his eyes.

Justin reached over and smoothed a few longer strands of hair away from Brian’s face. “I didn’t want to move away to get my sketchpad.”

“You’re entirely too sentimental, Sunshine,” Brian teased, cracking his right eye open a fraction, just enough for Justin to see a sliver of the hazel eyes he so adored. “Either that or you’re really lazy.”

“I think it’s a little of both,” Justin grinned, snuggling deeper into Brian’s hold.

Since the running of Brian’s organization had become more hectic over the past few weeks, the pair had taken to waking up a little earlier than normal so that they could spend a few more precious moments together. Justin couldn’t help but notice the reluctance with which Brian left their bed each morning. It was almost like he wasn’t always sure that he would be coming home at the end of the day.

“Dadda? Daddy?”

At the sound of Gus’ sleepy voice, both men turned towards the door where the little boy stood rubbing at his eyes with the backs of his hands. His dark hair was rumpled and sticking up in all directions like his father’s was and his bare toes were curling around the edge of the rug near the door.

“I had a bad dream. Can I seep with you?” Gus asked around a yawn.

“Come on up, Sonnyboy,” Brian murmured, holding a hand out in his son’s direction.

Gus scrambled up onto the bed and crawled into the small space between the two men’s bodies. He wiggled around for a few minutes until he found a comfortable position. Once he was sure that Gus wasn’t going to move around anymore, Justin brought a blanket up over him so that he was snuggled in, ready to go back to sleep.

“Love you, Dadda. Love you, Daddy,” Gus mumbled, already on the verge of sleep once again.

As the words slipped from Gus’ lips, Justin was startled to see the flash of sadness in Brian’s eyes. It was gone as soon as Justin had registered seeing it, but he knew that it had been there. The only thing he couldn’t figure out was why it was there. 

“Bri, what’s wrong?” Justin asked once he was sure that Gus was sleeping soundly.

The brunette looked like a man staring down the barrel of a gun. Once again, Brian tried to force the look away, but it was too late.

Reaching over Gus’ small body, Justin cupped the side of his lover’s face. “Brian. Please tell me what’s going on. I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

“There’s nothing you can do,” Brian murmured, smiling slightly as Justin ran a thumb over his bottom lip.

“I know there’s nothing I can do,” Justin sighed, hating to admit to that fact. “At least from the business end. But I can help you when you’re home. Ease your mind, your body... if you let me. I can’t do anything unless you let me.”

Sucking in his lips, Brian finally met Justin’s gaze. “You already are doing something, Justin. You’re keeping me sane and focused. I couldn’t ask for any more than that.”

“Well you’re not asking,” Justin countered. “I’m offering. I can’t help feeling like I should be doing something more.”

“Trust me, you’re doing a lot,” Brian said with a sleepy grin.

He may not have fully believed what Brian was saying, at the moment there was nothing he could do. Gus was with them and Justin knew that Brian always did his best to keep his business away from his son. So instead Justin continued to lightly caress Brian’s cheek until the other man drifted off to sleep.

Leaving the two most important people in his life to sleep, Justin slid out of the bed and made his way downstairs after pulling on a pair of lightweight cotton slacks, allowing the suspenders to hang down at his sides. Verbally, Justin could not find a way to describe his fears so he sought out the medium that had always helped him in that task. Finding his sketchpad where he had left it the night before on the ottoman in the living room, Justin sprawled himself out on the couch and took up his charcoals.

Within moments he was lost in the images that filled his mind. He desperately needed to dispel the tension that was growing inside him for reasons that he couldn’t quite figure out. He knew that something was wrong with the business side of Brian’s life, but what it was....

Justin nearly tumbled off the couch as the front door was slammed opened and police officers began tumbling into the penthouse.

“Federal officers! Freeze!” one of the men shouted as at least a dozen officers filled the penthouse, some going towards the kitchen, others up the stairs.

For a moment, Justin froze as several guns were pointed at him. What broke that invisible grip on his body was Gus’ frightened scream coming from the second floor of the penthouse. Ignoring the guns completely, Justin bolted towards the stairs, desperate to get to Gus.

“Stay right where you are or I’ll shoot you!” one of the men shouted.

Still Justin ignored him, only caring about the fear he’d heard in the little boy’s scream.

“Daddy!”

Gus came barreling down the stairs, launching himself off the landing and into Justin’s arms, knowing instinctively that the blonde would catch him. Justin lived up to that expectation, wrapping his arms around Gus and holding the small body against his own.

“Daddy, the bad men all had guns and they were gonna shoot Dadda,” Gus whimpered against Justin’s shoulder. “They’re gonna hurt Dadda.”

“Don’t worry, Gus, they won’t hurt Dadda,” Justin murmured, glaring at the federal agents and silently daring them to contradict him.

Justin remained where he was, alternating his attention between Gus and the stairs. His eyes widened when he got his first sight of Brian and immediately turned so that Gus wouldn’t be able to see his father being practically shoved down the stairs, handcuffed and his clothes barely on. Brian’s left cheek was also swelling slightly, a small gash on his cheekbone, probably from a ring or the butt of a pistol.

“Brian!” Justin gasped, instinctively reaching a hand towards his lover. That hand was quickly knocked away by a black night stick.

“Hey! Leave him alone!” Brian barked, turning to glare at the man who had hit Justin.

“Dadda!” Gus whimpered, reaching towards his father with both hands.

That moment was frozen in time as a flashbulb went off from near the doorway.

Everything exploded into chaos then and it was difficult for Justin to keep track of just what was happening. Reporters storming in while the federal officers attempted to guide Justin from the penthouse. Justin, meanwhile, was doing his utmost to calm Gus down while keeping Brian in his sights at all times.

At the very last moment, before Brian was shoved unceremoniously from his home, the two men’s eyes locked. It was fleeting glance, but in it Justin found out everything he needed to know. This was what Brian had been worried about. What he had kept hidden away. The threat that all mobsters were inherently aware of had come true for Brian; the Federal Bureau of Investigations had traced Brian’s illegal activities back to him.

“Daddy, what’s happening?” Gus snuffled into Justin’s shoulder as everyone began to file out of the penthouse. “Why are the bad men taking Dadda away?”

“I don’t know, Gus,” Justin mumbled against his dark hair. Catching a movement out of the corner of his eye, Justin turned and saw Katherine standing on the landing midway down the stairs. “Hey, Gus, can you go with Katherine while I get dressed and talk to your Uncle Ben?”

Gus clutched at him tightly, but nodded his head at the same time. “Don’t go anywhere without me. Don’t want you gone too.”

“I won’t go anywhere,” Justin promised, squeezing Gus tightly.

After sending Gus up the stairs with the woman, Justin hurried up himself to dress quickly. He already had the blue shirt halfway buttoned before realizing that it was Brian’s. It was a little too big, but Justin didn’t want to waste the time it would take to change his shirt again. By the time he got downstairs a few minutes later, Ben was on the phone with Brian’s lawyer.

“Get down to the Allegheny County Jail and find out what they have on Brian,” the normally sedate man growled into the phone. “We can’t fix this till we know what it is we have to fix.... Do it, Mel. I’ll be down there soon, but you’d better already be there.”

“I’m going with you,” Justin announced once the Ben had hung up the phone. He saw Ben about to protest and shook his head. “Don’t even try it, Ben. I’m going to see Brian. I have to make sure that he’s okay.”

“Justin--”

The artist shook his head. “No. Either you take me with you or I go on my own, but I am going to see Brian. I _have_ to see him,” Justin protested, crossing his arms over his chest.

Pursing his lips, Ben slowly nodded his head. “As long as you promise me that you will keep your temper in check. This is a very delicate situation.”

“I’m not a fool,” Justin scowled, crossing over to where he’d left his satchel leaning up against Brian’s desk. He looped the strap over his head, pushing his bangs away from his face when they were knocked into his eyes. “I’m going because I need to know how Brian is. They literally tore Gus out of his arms when they were asleep, Ben. He was sleeping when they came and didn’t have any time to react before they did... whatever it is they did to him. Someone hit him, but who knows what else happened in that room.”

“You mean you weren’t with him?” Ben asked, his eyebrows shooting upwards momentarily.

Justin sighed loudly, snaking his fingers deep into his hair and curling his hands into fists. “No. I’d gotten up some time before and was down here drawing. Gus was in our room because he’d had a bad dream and wanted to sleep with his father. I was already awake so I came down here to draw and let them be.... Now I wish I hadn’t.”

“Brian will probably be more relieved that you weren’t there,” Ben informed the younger man. “He wants to keep you and Gus as far away from his business as possible.”

“Oh well,” Justin shrugged. “He’ll just have to live with the fact that I’m getting involved because I’m not going to leave him rotting away in a prison cell.”

“I ready to go!”

Both men turned towards the stairs in time to see Gus come charging down, fully dressed and wearing one of his father’s hats. He ran over to where Justin stood, tugging on the blonde’s arm until Justin dropped his arm down for him to take.

“Let’s go see Dadda,” Gus said to the two men, tugging on Justin’s hand in an attempt to lead him towards the door. The little boy became frustrated when neither man moved and pulled even harder. “Daddy, why aren’t we going to see Dadda? He’ll want to see us.”

Ben crouched down so that he was at Gus’ height, meeting the little boy’s gaze. “You can’t come with us right now, Gus. They don’t let little boys go into the jail.”

“Why not?” Gus pouted, on the verge of tears.

“Because there are lots of bad men at the jail,” Justin said as he knelt down next to the miniature version of his lover.

“Like the ones who took you ‘way?” Gus sniffled, turning his teary hazel eyes on Justin.

Justin nodded his head solemnly. “Like the ones who took me away. So me and Uncle Ben are gonna go make sure that the bad men don’t do anything to Dadda. Okay?”

Gus shook his head frantically, reaching out to hold Justin’s cheeks in his palms. “Not you. Don’t want the bad men to take you ‘way too.”

“I promise that the bad men won’t take me away,” Justin murmured, placing his hands atop of Gus’ smaller ones. Seeing that Gus was still wavering, Justin attempted to coax him further. “How about you, Katherine and Renaldo take Roger for a run at the park? I’ll bet that if you’re a good boy they’ll even take you to the diner for pancakes.”

“No pancakes,” Gus insisted, frowning slightly. He took a step back, crossing his hands over his narrow chest. “Pancakes are only for you and Dadda. But we can get lemon bars, right?”

Justin couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face at Gus’ hopeful question. “Yes, you can have lemon bars. Two, if Katherine will let you.”

“What about Roger?” the little boy wanted to know.

“I don’t think that Roger can have a lemon square,” Justin tried to convince him. “But maybe Debbie will have some type of treat for him there.”

“I guess,” Gus sighed dramatically. “You’ll come home soon, though?”

“Soon as I can,” Justin promised him. “And then we’ll go out for some ice cream. Okay?”

Gus began bouncing up and down. “Yeah! Ice cream!”

With Gus appeased, the two men left the penthouse and to the car waiting thirteen floors below in the building’s parking garage. The way Justin saw it, the sooner they got to Brian, the better. The mob boss was not well known for keeping his temper in check and considering the events surrounding his arrest, Justin knew that his lover had to be on edge. He’d be shocked if Brian wasn’t.

The ride to the Allegheny County Jail was not a long one, but to Justin it seemed an infinitely long time to cover the distance that separated himself from his lover. It didn’t surprise him in the least that, when they did pull up in front of the county jailhouse, that the front steps were crowded with reporters waiting desperately for some tidbit of information.

The instant the reporters saw who it was emerging from the vehicle, they swarmed in on them. Built like a powerful boxer, it was Ben who led the way into the building, Justin trailing behind in the path he created. All the way, questions were being gunned at them by reporters eager to find out what was going on. Even if he’d wanted to, Justin was unable to answer their questions because he didn’t know what was happening or why Brian had been arrested. Ben had the answers, but he hadn’t been forthcoming on the ride over nor to the reporters.

It was much quieter inside the jailhouse once the doors swung shut behind them. Never having been in such a situation before, Justin merely followed after Ben, hoping that the other man could help him get to Brian.

“This doesn’t look good, Ben,” Mel said as he appeared at Ben’s side.

Justin stopped in his tracks when he caught a brief glimpse of Brian out of the corner of his eye. He turned completely and side-stepped a few paces back so that he could see past the door and into the room where he could see Brian. His lover was seated in front of a heavy wooden table, the chain between the two cuffs locked around his wrists fastened to the top of the table. In that moment, Brian’s normal confidence was gone as he sat slumped in the chair, staring dejectedly at something off to his right.

Shaking himself out of whatever trance held him, Justin started forward, rushing towards the door. He wasn’t fast enough. The door was closed from the inside just as he was reaching towards the handle, intending to open the door the rest of the way so that he could enter. Fumbling with the door knob, Justin was frustrated to find out that it was locked.

“Brian, no,” Justin whimpered, placing his hand flat against the wooden door.


	18. Decadence

It seemed like forever that he had been staring out the window. He watched the children playing in the park across the street, running around without a care in the world. For the life of him, Brian couldn’t remember a time when he’d been like that. He’d spent more time locked in a closet, bearing out the brunt of his father’s drunken rages than out enjoying the sunlight and fresh air. 

Now he was back in a closet, chained to a table to await a fate that he would have to meet on his own. Not that it should have surprised him. No matter what happened, he always ended up alone in the end. 

The only thing Brian had to be grateful for was that Gus would have Justin to take care of him and love him after he was locked away for the rest of his life. Justin would be able to watch Gus grow up and teach him how to be a good man far better than Brian himself ever could. He hoped that Gus wouldn’t be too traumatized by what had happened that morning because Brian knew that he would never be able to forget that. To be woken from a deep sleep only to have his son yanked from his arms like he was nothing more than a rag doll was something that he would never be able to forget. 

Then there was Justin. 

Brian had seen the absolute panic in his eyes as Justin had watched on helplessly from the bottom of the stairs, Gus clutched tightly in his arms. With everything else that he had been through lately, the last thing Justin had needed was to be held at gun point in his own home. 

“Well, well, Brian Kinney. I’ve always wondered if we’d one day cross paths,” a federal agent in an expensive suit said as he entered the interrogation room. 

With a nod the guard standing near the main entrance of the room shut and locked the heavy wooden door. For a brief moment, Brian thought that he saw Justin in the corridor beyond, but the door was shut so quickly that he couldn’t be sure. 

“Nothing to say?” the dark-haired man demanded, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat down in the chair across from Brian. 

“Were you hoping that I’d either plead my innocence or beg to make a deal?” Brian drawled as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His shoulders were sore from being stuck in the same position for so long and he wanted nothing more than for Justin rub that stiffness away. “Because, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but that’s not going to happen any time soon.” 

“I didn’t expect it would. I’m Agent O’Roarke, by the way.” 

Brian snorted and arched an eyebrow. “Am I supposed to trust you because you’re a fellow Mick?” 

“That’s entirely up to you,” O’Roarke shrugged, unfolding his arms so that he could sift through the file resting on the table in front of him. “Whatever happens, I can pretty much guarantee you that you’ll be spending some time in jail.” 

“Then get my lawyer in here,” Brian said shortly, rattling his chains slightly to emphasize his point. “I want to know whatever charges you think it is you’ve got cooked up against me and I want him to know as well.” 

O’Roarke nodded his head and turned towards the guard by the door. “Melvin Marcus. Fetch him in here and no one else. The blonde stays outside.” 

“Justin’s here?” Brian demanded, perking up greatly. 

“Your blonde companion; the one whose death was faked by an adversary of yours a few weeks back. Yes, he’s here,” O’Roarke confirmed, waving a hand absently in the direction of the door as the guard began to unlock it. 

If the federal agent said anything after that, Brian didn’t hear it. His attention was focused entirely on the door, hoping to catch even a brief glance of Justin when it was opened. There was nothing. Only empty hallway and a badly painted picture hanging from the opposite wall as the nameless guard disappeared out of the room. Brian slumped back in his chair, dejected, and turned his attention back to the window and the children playing across the street. 

“Brian!” 

The door was thrown open before Brian could react and standing in the now empty space was Justin. 

“Justin!” 

O’Roarke didn’t have time to even register what was happening before Justin was at Brian’s side. Unable to move his hands, Brian could do nothing but leaning into Justin’s touch as the blonde wound his arms around him. 

“Oh god, Brian. I was so worried about you,” Justin moaned against the side of his face, peppering his cheeks and forehead with urgent kisses before his lover’s lips devoured his own. 

Brian sucked in an involuntary wince as Justin applied too much pressure on the still tender wound on his cheek with an eager hand. In an instant, Justin pulled back, turning Brian’s head to the side to examine what the butt of a gun had done to his cheek. 

Then Justin was snatched away from him. 

“No!” Brian cried out, shooting to his feet and yanking vainly on the chains which bound him to the table. “Justin, no!” 

Reaching towards him, Justin’s fingers brushed against Brian’s cheek as he was being pulled in the opposite direction. “Brian!” 

“Get him out of here!” O’Roarke shouted over the sounds of the struggle. 

Brian was shoved unceremoniously into his seat at almost the same instant the door was slammed closed behind Justin’s forced retreat. He stared at the closed door, willing for some type of mystical power that would let him see through the wooden plane. 

“Well, that was entertaining,” O’Roarke smirked, going back to the papers in front of them and shuffling them around. “Now, back to the matter at hand--” 

“Get out,” Brian growled, turning his attention back to the federal officer. “Go talk to my lawyer. Talk legal jargon with him then he can come back and explain it to me in English. In the meanwhile, bring Justin back in here.” 

O’Roarke arched an eyebrow and leaned back in his seat. “That is some delusion you have there, Mr. Kinney.” 

“It’s not a delusion,” Brian said with a shake of his head. “I’m not talking to you until I hear from my lawyer exactly what is going on. So you two can just scamper off and have your little talk and send Justin in here. I want to see Justin. I need to find out how my son is after you and your goons terrified him.” 

“As sorry as I am about that--” 

“You’re not sorry!” Brian shouted, rising so quickly that his chair toppled over. The handcuffs dug into his wrists, but he ignored them, leaning as far forward across the table as possible. “You charged into my home first thing in the morning, guns blazing, knowing full well that my family would be inside. My four year old son was sleeping soundly right next to me when you burst into my bedroom. I didn’t know that you were coming so you could have just as easily arrested me at some other point during the day. I’d still be here and Gus wouldn’t have seen something that no child should ever see. Your kind is self-righteous and don’t give a damn who you hurt in the process.” 

The staring match went on between Brian and O’Roarke for several long minutes before the seated federal agent broke eye contact. “Let’s go, Marcus. We’ll talk in my office while Brian and his... toy... have a conjugal visit.” 

Brian glared daggers impeccably dressed man, not dignifying his words with any type of response. If they wanted to believe that Justin was nothing more than a plaything, he wasn’t going to correct them. Brian knew just how tenacious Justin could be and would enjoy unleashing him on the federal agents. 

“Out of my way!” Justin hissed as the door was opened a second time. Shoving his way past Mel and O’Roarke, Justin rushed to Brian’s side for the second time in only a few minutes. “God, Bri....” 

“Easy there, Sunshine,” Brian murmured against the top of Justin’s head. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, willing away the tears he could feel pricking at the corners of his eyes. More than anything, he hated what this was doing to Justin and Gus. Neither of them should have suffered for his actions. 

Pulling back, Justin examined him with light fingertips, his eyes performing an even more penetrative search. Brian wanted nothing more than to wrap Justin in his arms and take away the fear that he could see in the blue eyes that he knew so well. 

“I should have been up there with you,” Justin murmured as he lightly stroked under the large gash on Brian’s cheek. 

Brian shook his head, leaning forward to brush his lips against Justin’s forehead. “No, you shouldn’t have been there. I know you, Justin, and you would have just done something stupid and gotten yourself hurt or arrested. Gus only needs to have one of us in here.” 

“He doesn’t need either of us to be in here,” Justin countered hotly as he began shuffling through his pockets. “And he’s going to have both of us home tonight. I don’t care what I have to do.” 

While Brian was still searching for some way to reassure Justin that everything would be fine, the blonde pulled out a pair of thick metal toothpicks and immediately set to work on the clasp locking his handcuffs to the table. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Brian demanded, his eyes darting over to the door to make sure that no one was coming in. 

“I’m getting you out of here,” Justin ground out, sparing him a quick glance before going back to his work. “I promised Gus that I’d come home with you and I’m not breaking that promise.” 

Twisting his wrists as much as he was able, Brian managed to grab hold of Justin’s hands, stilling his movements. “Justin, stop it. What are you doing?” 

Justin rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I’m getting you out of here. What does it look like?” 

“It looks like you’re trying to get yourself arrested,” Brian said, squeezing Justin’s hands when he felt the artist start to pull away to return to his task. “Look, Justin, this is fine. I’ve been arrested more times than I can count over the years. It never sticks. I’ll be home tonight even without you trying to break me out.” 

“In case you haven’t noticed, Brian, it wasn’t Pittsburgh’s finest that arrested you, it was the federal government,” Justin hissed, pulling back and snaking his right hand through his hair. “I’m scared, Bri. I don’t.... I always knew this would be a probability, but I never really thought it would actually happen.” 

Brian moved as close as he could to Justin, wishing that he had at least let Justin release his cuffs from the table so that he could hold his lover in his arms, if a little awkwardly. “Justin, come here. Please. I’m kinda trapped here.” 

Immediately, Justin moved back over to him, winding his arms around Brian’s shoulders. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do right now. It’s one thing when I’m the one in trouble... I know how to get out of it, but now....” 

“Now you and Gus go out of the country until this is all over,” Brian finished for him, speaking into Justin’s shoulder. He inhaled deeply, taking comfort in the scent that belonged uniquely to his lover. “I need to know that you’re both safe.” 

Justin flew back, staring incredulously at the mobster. “No. Absolutely not. I won’t run away, Brian.” 

“Justin--” 

“No! How can you even think that I’d do something like that?” Justin demanded, stalking over to the other side of the table during his rant. Taking a deep breath, Justin set his hands down flat on the table, directly across from where Brian stood. “Look, I’ll have Renaldo and Katherine take Gus somewhere safe, but I’m not going anywhere.” 

He would never admit to it, but Brian was glad that Justin wasn’t going to leave the country. It would be safer for Justin to go to Canada with Gus. They could head up to Toronto or Niagara Falls and have a vacation of sorts until he could join them. Which he would because Brian had no intentions of being locked behind bars for any length of time. 

As Brian watched, Justin jumped suddenly back to life, rounding back over to Brian. “Ben thinks that it was one of your bookkeepers who was slipping information to the Feds. Evan or Ian... Ethan! That’s it. Ethan Mold... or something. Either way, Ben said that he’s the only person in your organization that couldn’t be tracked down today.” 

Brian squeezed his eye shut tight. He knew exactly who Justin was talking about. Ethan Gold, a greasy looking boy who Theodore had brought on because of his gift with numbers. Brian wanted to sit down, but his chair was tipped over on the ground and with his hands locked to the table he couldn’t do anything about it. 

“Let Ben deal with this,” Brian said once he was sure that he had Justin’s attention. “I don’t want you to get messed up in this. What I need is for you to take care of Gus. I need to know that Gus is all right. Please, Justin. Can you do that?” 

Reaching over, Justin lightly held Brian’s cheeks in his hands. “Gus will be all right, Brian. I promise. I’ll keep him safe.” 

“Thank you,” Brian whispered, releasing a heavy sigh. 

Justin leaned forward and the two shared a very tender kiss. Brian was desperate for more, to at least be able to hold Justin, but at the moment he couldn’t do anything else but murmur nonsensical words of comfort against Justin’s lips. 

The moment was ended far too soon as the door opened and the two lawyers entered the room once again. Justin jumped back slightly, but still kept a hand on Brian’s arm to make sure they didn’t lose contact. 

“If you’d excuse us, Mr. Taylor,” O’Roarke said without bothering to look up from the files he was looking through. 

“Sorry, but I’m staying here. I want to know what you’re doing to my lover,” Justin informed the slick government lawyer. 

O’Roarke waved an absent hand in Justin’s direction. “Mr. Kinney, please talk some sense into your toy. He has no business being here.” 

Once again being bound proved to be an incredible disadvantage because Justin stormed over to the lawyer before Mel had the time to react. Justin slammed O’Roarke up against the wall by his lapels, glaring into the taller man’s face. 

“You don’t get to talk about things you know nothing about,” Justin growled, slamming O’Roarke again for emphasis. 

“Justin, don’t!” Brian shouted, struggling for all he was worth. “Stop! Please, stop it!” 

It took a few moments for Brian’s words to penetrate whatever haze was filling Justin’s mind, but it did pass and Justin was soon back at Brian’s side. Justin gasped when he saw the small trails of blood sliding from Brian’s torn wrists and down his hands. One hand flew up to hold the brunette’s left cheek and his other one twined with Brian’s fingers. 

“You should be glad, Mr. Taylor, that I’m feeling generous and won’t press charges for attacking a federal officer,” O’Roarke hissed as he righted himself, fixing his jacket and tie that Justin had thrown into complete disorder. 

Brian glared at O’Roarke before turning his attention to Justin who had begun to dab at the blood that was pooling around his wrists. “All right, Mel, what’s the verdict. What’s happening?” 

“You’re being moved to Western Penitentiary in a few hours,” the frazzled lawyer answered, pushing his glasses up further on his nose. 

The words that followed passed over Brian’s head as though they hadn’t been spoken. Instead he fumbled his hands slightly, wincing, but managed to attract Justin’s attention so that the blonde looked up to meet his gaze. 

“I love you,” he mouthed, a slight smile curving the corners of his lips. 

Brian knew what would happen if he was sent to Western. He’d be locked away from his family for what would likely be many years. Western Penitentiary was much harder to break out of than the Allegheny County Jail. 

“Justin, I want you and Ben to go home,” Brian murmured, turning away from his lover to look back out the window where the little kids were still playing. “Take care of Gus for me.” 

“Brian, no!” Justin cried out, clutching at Brian’s shoulder, trying to get him to turn back. 

“Please go, Justin....” Brian pleaded, blinking rapidly to keep the tears he could feel forming from falling. “This is something that can’t be fixed.” 

“You don’t know that,” Justin insisted, grabbing hold of Brian’s face and forcing him to turn his head. He leaned in, pulling Brian’s forehead down to his so that their eyes met. “You don’t know that, Brian.” 

“Please just go,” Brian whimpered, not wanting to break down in front of Mel and O’Roarke. To hide his tears, Brian kissed Justin desperately, memorizing the feel of Justin’s lips against his for what could very well be the final time.


	19. Decadence

Justin didn’t remember any of the ride back from the police station. Didn’t remember getting into the car or Ben sliding in next to him. And he certainly didn’t remember the car pulling up in front of Harborview Towers, but Ben was nudging his arm and whispering for him to get out.

“You all right, Justin?” Ben asked as they rode up in the elevator to the penthouse floor.

That simple question was all that it took to snap whatever ounce of control Justin had left. He let out a loud, hysterical noise somewhere between a giggle and a sob and stabbed his fingers into his hair. “Am I all right? Do you have any idea just how loaded that question is, Ben? Do you realize that it’s not even noon and I feel like my world is about to shatter into a million tiny pieces that I won’t be able to put back together again? The federal government just arrested Brian! They have him handcuffed to a table and are planning on locking him away for the rest of his life! Am _I_ all right? Christ, Ben!”

The elevator door opened at just that moment, startling the artist. Justin rushed out of the elevator, but didn’t move towards the door of his and Brian’s home. He needed a few minutes to calm down before he went inside to see Gus. There was no way he could let the little boy know just how serious the situation with his father really was. Not only would Gus have a hard time understanding it, but Justin was still hoping that they were a way to avoid it and didn’t want to worry Gus unnecessarily.

“Justin, I need you to calm down,” Ben said, placing a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder. “You’ll be no good to be if you have a breakdown.”

“Wha-what are you talking about?” Justin stammered as he leaned back against the wall. His shoulder hit one of the paintings on the wall so he moved to the side a bit.

“I’m talking about needing you to get together everything you, Brian and Gus really need and pack it in the next few hours,” Ben instructed. He had released Justin’s shoulder, but was still watching him cautiously. “We only have a small window of opportunity to spring Brian from the jail before he’s moved to Western.”

Justin stared at Ben dumbly, his mind not fully registering what the other man was saying to him. “We’re gonna get Brian out of jail? How?”

“As soon as I figure that out I’ll let you know,” Ben assured him. “I need to meet with Liam, Johnny and Renaldo to finalize a plan.”

“But you promise me that we’ll get Brian out of jail?” Justin pressed, staring imploringly at Ben.

Ben nodded his head solemnly. “I promise, Justin.”

Justin still needed a few moments to collect himself before going into the penthouse that had been his home for the past few weeks. Until that morning, Justin had been convinced that he would live the rest of his life in that penthouse. That he and Brian would raise Gus there and grow old together.

The way things were now, Justin was pretty sure that this would be the last day he’d ever spend in the luxurious penthouse.

“Daddy! Dadda!” Gus shouted the instant the door was opened.

The little boy’s excited shout gave Justin pause. He wasn’t sure if he could put on a strong front for his son knowing that Brian was still locked up in a jail cell. The decision was taken away from him when Gus snatched open the door and bolted into the corridor in search of his natural father.

“Dadda? Daddy, where’s Dadda?” Gus snuffled, gazing up at Justin with teary eyes. “You said you’d bring Dadda home wiff you.”

Justin dropped down to his knees, ignoring the pain that jarred through his body on impact, and pulled Gus into his arms. “I know I did, Gussy, and I really tried my best to bring Dadda home with me. It’s just gonna take a little bit longer.”

“But Dadda’s gonna come home, right?” Gus whimpered into Justin’s shoulder, his tears soaking the blonde’s shirt.

“Dadda’s gonna come home,” Justin assured him, pressing a kiss against the downy head. “No way am I gonna leave Dadda alone with the bad men.”

Hoisting Gus up into his arms, Justin entered the penthouse. The place seemed almost empty without Brian and knowing that his lover would never set foot in his home again made the ache that much more intense.

“Hey, Gus, can you do me a favour and go pack up whatever toys you wanna bring on holiday?” Justin murmured against the side of Gus’ head as he navigated them towards the stairs. They passed Renaldo and Katherine on the way and Justin motioned with his head for the guard to go outside in the hall where Ben was waiting.

“Where we goin’?” Gus asked, lifting his head from Justin’s shoulder to peer up at him.

“That’s a surprise,” Justin said, smiling down at the miniature copy of his lover. It was a strained smile, but Gus didn’t seem to notice too much, excited at the idea of going on a trip.

“Is Dadda gonna come with us?”

Justin nodded his head automatically. “Dadda’s coming with us. Me and Uncle Ben are gonna go rescue him from the bad men then we’re all going on holiday together.”

That assurance seemed to snap Gus out of his melancholy mood. He wiggled out of Justin arms took off running towards the stairs. With the reprieve he was given, Justin moved towards the couch and collapsed down on it. He needed those few moments to center himself so that he could remain positive in front of Gus. There was no way that Gus could know just how serious things were, how close Brian was to being locked up for half a lifetime, because not only was Gus too young to comprehend what was going on outside of the “bad guys took Dadda” aspect of it, but Justin wouldn’t let him know just how serious it was. 

Of course that prove a little more difficult when they got Brian back and Gus saw the damage that had been done his father’s wrists from the handcuffs. Justin knew that Brian’s wrists would be sore and painful for quite some time and he planned on pampering his lover until all of his pains had vanished.

After a few minutes of wallowing, Justin heaved himself up off the couch and made his way towards the stairs. He could brood when he had Brian back with him, but until then he had to act.

The first thing he had to do was pack up their lives into a few suitcases that would be easy to transport out of the country quickly.

Justin ran his fingertips lightly over the surfaces that he passed on his way towards the staircase. The couch, the mantle, the walls, tables, lamps. Justin didn’t take a direct path to the stairs just so he could see more of the penthouse before climbing up to the second floor.

“We’re going on holiday with Dadda and Daddy,” Gus was saying to the array of toy animals and soldiers lined up around him. “But I can’t take all of you ‘cause Dadda said that I can only ever take as many of you who fit in my suitcase.”

The suitcase in question was a miniature version of Brian’s own hard leather one. There were various travel stickers on its surface and Justin wondered if Gus had actually gone to all of those places in his short life. If it did anything, it made Justin realize just how little he really knew about the two people he had chosen to make his life with.

Leaving Gus to negotiate with his toys who was going to come and who would stay behind, Justin shuffled along to his and Brian’s bedroom. Like Gus, he needed to decide what they would take and what would stay behind. Thankfully Brian had lots of money hidden away in accounts and would be able to replenish his wardrobe which would be shrunk considerably in a few hours’ time.

While Justin made sure to pack the necessary clothes to last them however long it took to get where they were going, the bulk of what he packed were the sentimental things that couldn’t be replaced. Pictures of Gus, Joseph Donnelly and Lindsay. Little trinkets he’d collected over the years that Justin knew meant a lot to his lover. Gus’ booties and the blanket that had been wrapped around his other son, Joseph, for the few scant moments Brian had been able to hold him, a few books by ancient philosophers that Justin had seen the mobster reading time and again over the past three months.... Justin really wanted to be able to take everything, but he knew that they would have to travel light and besides, anything that was forgotten could be sent along by Ben once it was safe.

By the time he was finished, both suitcases were packed full and Justin made his way to Gus’ room to pack some clothes for the little boy and to see how he was doing with his own packing.

“All done,” Gus announced as Justin entered the room. The small suitcase was sitting in the center of the room while Gus was busy bouncing around on his bed. “When are we going?”

Justin crossed over and sat down on the bed, pulling Gus down onto his lap. “I don’t know, Gus. We have wait for Uncle Ben to figure things out before we can go get Dadda. It will be very soon, though.”

Gus snuggled up against Justin, burrowing his head into the side of the blonde’s throat. “The bad men didn’t hurt Dadda, did they?”

“Dadda’s got a couple little ouchies, but he’s okay,” Justin assured the kid, knowing that it would be better to tell the truth in the long run. Gus was very smart and would figure it out right away if Justin was lying to him. Especially after he saw the damage that had been done to Brian’s wrists.

“Listen, kiddo, why don’t you stay up here and play for a bit while I go to Uncle Ben’s to find out when we’re going to get Dadda,” Justin murmured, leaning back so that he could see Gus’ face.

“You’ll come get me before we leave?” Gus asked, frowning slightly.

“Will do, kiddo,” Justin promised then pressed a kiss to Gus’ forehead.

Leaving Gus to console all his toys that were being forced to remain behind, Justin made his way downstairs. His eyes swept over the downstairs interior, making sure that he hadn’t forgotten to pack anything, as he made his way towards the door. Justin didn’t bother knocking before entering Ben’s penthouse knowing that he would be walking into a war council.

One that he had every intention of being a part of.

Thanks to the officers Brian had on the payroll in the Pittsburgh police force, the paperwork necessary to move the mobster from the local jail to the state penitentiary had been misplaced long enough so that it would be after nightfall before Brian was moved. The cover of darkness was a necessity for the plan Ben and the three guards had managed to cook up in the short amount of time allotted to them.

“You and Gus will wait for us at the train station--”

“No!” Justin shouted, rising from the seat to glare at the bigger man. “I’m not waiting anywhere! I’m going with you to get Brian and that’s all there is to it!”

“Justin--”

“I’m going with you,” Justin insisted as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m the one who has the most at stake in this so I’m going whether I have your permission or not.”

In the end it was Justin who triumphed. He was seated in the backseat of the car alongside Ben as the two of them, along with Johnny and Liam, made their way to the Allegheny County Jail where Brian was still confined. Everything about the rescue had to be timed correctly. If even one thing was out of sync, Brian would be on his way to Western and the rest of them would be in serious trouble.

The only thing Justin had conceded was that he’d remain in or near the car the entire time. Justin knew the plan forward and backwards and he had every intention of being at the door where they would exit from, with Brian. Justin had already promised himself that they didn’t have Brian with them that he was going in there after his lover.

“This is going to work, right?” Justin murmured as the vehicle came to a stop in an alley next to the police station. “We’re going to get Brian back.”

“We’re going to do everything in our power to--”

Justin shook his head sharply, interrupting Ben. “No. No half-ways. No half-truths. Tell me, Ben, will Brian be walking out of that jail with you or not?”

“Brian will be walking out of there with us,” Ben confirmed, meeting Justin’s gaze head on. “I’ll do whatever I have to in order to make sure that happens.”

Justin let out a shuddering breath and nodded his head. In the end, it didn’t matter what Ben promised him because the other man didn’t have any control over the events about to take place despite what either of them wanted to believe.

Once the other three men had gone, disappearing into a little used door at the side of the building that had been left unlocked for just that purpose, Justin’s fears began to multiply. The only thing that Justin could do was wait for the fireworks to begin. Very literal ones at that if the box of dynamite Liam had fetched from the trunk were any indication.

Several times, Justin nearly ventured into the police station after them. The five minutes they had predicted to break Brian out of the jail had soon turned into ten agonizing minutes without the explosion that would herald the beginning of the dramatic rescue. Because everything had been organized at the last minute, two sets of train tickets had been purchased. One should things go exactly as planned and a second for if things had occurred as they presently were and they missed the first train.

The only problem was that he and Brian would be separated from Gus until their own train arrived in Boston.

Justin was nearly shaken off his feet when an explosion went off in the bowels of the building. Justin rushed towards the door, nervously awaiting the arrival of Brian and the others. Now that the dynamite had been set off it was only a matter of a few moments before they were supposed to make their escape. Justin slipped in a murky puddle as a second explosion caused the old building and the surrounding area to shudder and moan.

Panicking, Justin rushed across the short distance separating him from the building. Smoke began billowing out of the narrow doorway. Thick, dark smoke that could only mean that there was a massive fire nearby.

“Brian!” Justin shouted over the increasing noise coming from the police station and the street in front of it.

A hand emerged from the doorway. A soot smeared hand that was bruised and torn around the wrist.

Justin latched onto that hand, yanking Brian out into the open and threw his arms around his lover. Brian’s own arms weakly wound about his waist as he borrowed his face against Justin’s throat.

There was no time to savour the reunion because within moments they were being rushed towards the car. Justin held tight to his lover, supporting him when he felt Brian began to stumble. He didn’t know what had happened to Brian in the hours since he had left the police station, but knew that it couldn’t be good.

“If we hurry, you two can still make the first train,” Ben announced as they all piled into the black vehicle.

“First train?” Brian mumbled, leaning against Justin’s side.

“The one that Gus will be on with Renaldo and Katherine,” Justin said against the top of Brian’s head, ignoring the scent of smoke that permeated the dark-haired man.

By then the car was speeding through the back alleys of Pittsburgh and Justin wound his arm around Brian, reveling in the feel of having him in his arms once again. It worried Justin that Brian was shuddering almost continually, but for the moment all he could do was hold on tight and hope that it wasn’t anything serious. Hopefully it was just the smoke he’d inhaled during the explosion and that he’d be fine the next day.

Suddenly Brian’s head lunged up and he kissed Justin hard, desperately. His lips mashing against Justin’s and their teeth grinding together as Brian fought to wiggle his tongue into the slick recesses of his mouth. Justin willingly allowed it to happen, matching Brian’s passion with equal fervor. Brian hands came up then, holding Justin’s face between his palms and the artist swore that he could feel tears that were not his smear against his cheeks.

“Didn’t think I’d be ale to do that for a long time,” Brian moaned against Justin’s lips, pulling back just enough so that they could suck in deep breaths to refill their lungs.

“You should have known that I’d never give up on you,” Justin whispered, nuzzling against the side of Brian’s face. “You and Gus are my family and I don’t want that family separated ever.”

Brian shuddered again and Justin helped him to stretch out along the backseat. The mobster moved about a bit, trying to find a comfortable position for his head on Justin’s thigh. When he finally stilled, his right hand moved up to clutch at Justin’s knee, squeezing lightly.

“We’ll be safe soon,” Justin said quietly as he leaned over Brian’s upper body. “You, me and Gus will be safe in Europe before the week is out.”

“You mean you’re going to be dragging me to every museum in Europe,” Brian teased, his eyes slanting in Justin’s direction.

“That too,” the younger man confirmed.

Brian smiled sideways at him and gave his knee another squeeze before sinking down into the plush seat. Justin himself relaxed against the seat, sliding his fingers through Brian’s hair. His fingers continued their journey, along his cheek, his throat, over his shoulder then down his arm until he reached Brian’s abused wrist. Justin skirted that area then threaded his fingers through Brian’s, smiling softly when Brian’s fingers closed around his own.


	20. Decadence

Brian slowly blinked his eyes open, rolling away from the bright light sleeping into the room. It was the one thing he hated about living on the Mediterranean, the sun was always bright first thing in the morning and always seemed to shine right in his eyes. Even though most nights he shut the heavy curtain covering the doors that led out to the expansive garden out back, when he woke up the light was shining in his eyes because the curtains had been opened.

The first time it happened was only a few days after they’d arrived in Florence and Brian had gone into an all out panic thinking that the FBI had managed to track them there. That fear only increased when he’d realized that Justin wasn’t there beside him. Reacting quickly, Brian snatched his gun up from the locked drawer in the bedside table and burst out into the garden.

And nearly gave Justin a heart attack as he sat innocently sketching next to the pool. The blonde had been so startled that he’d gone tumbling into the cool water, his sketch book falling harmlessly on the flagstones. After quickly returning the gun to its locked drawer, Brian rushed back out and dove into the water alongside the scowling artist.

From that time on, whenever he awoke to find the embroidered curtains opened, Brian snuck out, hoping to catch a few glimpses of Justin painting or sketching in their walled in garden. On some mornings, Justin was in such a hurry to catch the early morning light that he didn’t bother to grab a robe, snatching up only a throw blanket to sit on until the flagstones sucked up enough of the sun’s heat.

This morning happened to be one of those times Justin was without a robe. Brian remained inside the bedroom, watching his lover through the slit in the curtains for a few minutes. Brian would never tire of watching Justin while he was busy creating. His brow would get all crinkled, his nose would periodically scrunch up and he’d chew on his bottom lip while shoving his bangs out of his eyes.

“I know you’re there, Brian,” Justin grinned without taking his eyes off what he was doing. “So either get me a robe or come out here and join me.”

Smirking, Brian slipped out onto the patio, stretching his arms up over his head as he soaked in the early morning sun. “This life of leisure has made you very demanding.”

“Wait! Don’t move!” Justin cried out as Brian began to relax his body.

“Oh come on!” Brian groaned as the nonetheless remained in his stretched position. “I come out here to play and instead I’m turned into a model.”

Justin rolled his eyes as he moved around to get the best vantage point. “You like it when I draw you and you know it. See. You cock agrees with me.”

“My cock agrees to seeing you walk around naked,” Brian returned as Justin finally settled down just off to his right, on an angle. “Any idea how long you’ll be making my cock suffer?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet,” Justin deadpanned, earning him a glare from Brian. Then he burst out laughing. “Don’t worry, I won’t be long. I’m just going to do a quick sketch now and get you to stretch out in bed later so you’ll be more comfortable.”

Keeping his position, Brian glanced at Justin out of the corner of his eye. And even though his arms were getting tired from remaining held upwards for an extended amount of time, Brian could honestly say that he didn’t mind posing for Justin because it meant that he got to watch Justin with all his guards down. In the nearly four months that had passed since they’d fled from Pittsburgh and the other three months that they’d been in a relationship, there were still times that Brian knew Justin was holding back. Brian knew a lot of what had happened to him in the six years that he’d been living on the streets, but he’d be a fool if he though that Justin would willingly reveal all of it at once. So Brian made do with the bits and pieces of the artist’s past that he discovered when Justin was ready to deal with it.

Catching sight of Justin rotating his neck and flexing his shoulders, Brian knew that he was getting ready to finish up so the instant that Justin set aside his sketchbook and charcoals Brian leaned over and hauled Justin to his feet. Before Justin had any time to react, he pulled Justin into his arms and spun him out into the pool. While the blonde was still under the water, Brian dove in after him, opening his eyes so that he could swim to him.

The two met under water, their lips mashing together as they wound their arms around each other. Air bubbles exploded around their faces and Brian could feel Justin grinning against his lips. Very quickly, oxygen became and issue and they were forced to surface.

“You twat!” Justin sputtered, slapping Brian’s shoulder. “You scared the shit out of me!”

“That’s the price you have to pay for making me stand in uncomfortable positions,” Brian smirked as he closed the distance between them and slipped his arms around Justin’s waist. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to what I’d been planning before you turned me into the next Michaelangelo’s David.”

“David was made out of marble. That was just a charcoal sketch,” Justin informed him as Brian slid his hands down to cup his rear.

Brian pouted dramatically and lifted Justin up so that he could wrap his legs around the mobster’s waist. “So I’m not good enough for marble then?”

“No, you don’t have the patience for it,” Justin countered with a grin. “You’d be bored before I even had you dick carved.”

Brian snorted at that and continued to bob around in the cool water. “At least I’d know that you’d get all the proportions right.”

“I am an expert,” Justin agreed as he slipped his hands up into Brian’s hair, undoubtedly making it stick up in all directions.

Brian allowed his knees to unlock and they both slipped under the water. They floated for a few moments before Brian kicked them back above the surface. Scowling, Justin dove forward, mashing his lips against Brian’s as they were forced back under until air became a serious issue. They slipped above the surface long enough suck in a few breaths of oxygen before sliding back underwater.

They were both sputtering and giggling when they emerged for the final time. Taking Justin by the hand, Brian led Justin over the steps leading out of the pool. They had made love many times in that pool since arriving in Florence, but it was only one of a few of the outdoor places they had christened. And while he enjoyed the pool, Brian’s favourite was the chaise lounge that was set deeper in the garden under a large canopy.

“Has anyone ever told you how much of a romantic you are?” Justin murmured as he turned himself around in Brian’s arms so that they were facing each other again. “Life on the run is definitely agreeing with you, Mr. Kinney.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Brian mumbled, glancing just beyond the smaller man’s shoulder.

“Of course you’re not,” Justin agreed, placating him. “So you didn’t rent out that gorgeous old church this afternoon?”

Brian sucked in both lips to keep the smile from curving his lips upwards. “I don’t believe so, no.”

“And you didn’t buy that adorable little suit for Gus to wear?”

“Oh I’ll admit to that,” Brian grinned, meeting Justin’s eyes. “He’s my son. He needs a suit. But it’s not adorable, it’s manly.”

“Manly, of course,” Justin smirked, earning him a swat on the hip from Brian. “Hey, watch it! Okay, fine, you wanted to buy Gus a manly suit, but then explain the rings we bought last week.”

“Ahh, yes, the rings,” Brian sighed as he leaned his forehead against Justin’s. “I guess there’s no fooling you, is there?”

“No, there’s really not,” Justin whispered as he began tracing patterns on Brian’s back with his fingertips. “So is what we’re doing this afternoon have a name?”

Brian thought for a moment then shook his head. “I don’t want to jinx it.”

Even as he said the words, Brian knew that he sounded like a fool. What was happening that afternoon was very simple and didn’t even involve a priest. Just the two of them exchanging personal vows and rings at an ancient alter. Justin was right, it was romantic. It was something that he never would have considered when they were back in Pittsburgh. Or if it had happened, it wouldn’t have been for several years.

“This isn’t something you can jinx,” Justin murmured, drawing a heart with his index fingers on the small of Brian’s back. “You can’t jinx something that’s just meant to happen.”

“Now who’s the romantic one,” Brian taunted in a sing-song voice.

Justin gave him a shove, overbalancing then, and they tumbled down onto the chaise. The chair was incredibly narrow and they would have fallen off if Brian managed to get his right arm out, bracing it on the ground behind them.

“Careful there, Sunshine, you’ll damage me and then I’ll be no use to you,” Brian warned him as the pair straightened themselves out and sat down properly on the chair, Justin stretching out between Brian’s legs.

The pair were silent for several long minutes, simply enjoying the brief moments of solitude. Even though they were essentially on an extended holiday, their life was anything but calm and peaceful. The main threat to their peace was knowing that at any moment it could all come crashing down in an instant if the FBI got a lead on where they were. The best chance of avoiding discovery was moving roughly ever six months, or sooner if the need arose. And while it kept his family together, it deprived them of an actual home.

“You know that we’d be at home if it was possible, right?” Brian as he began rubbing his hand over the blonde’s stomach.

Justin nodded his head automatically, his wet hair rubbing against the underside of Brian’s chin. “I know. It’s not an option, though, so we’re in Europe which, trust me, isn’t a bad thing. I’ve always wanted to see Europe and now I get to experience it with the guy I’m head over heels for.”

“That wouldn’t by any chance be me, would it?” Brian said against Justin’s shoulder as he began to press soft, open mouthed kisses to Justin’s shoulder.

Justin ground his hips back into Brian’s groin and began to stroke his thighs. “I think there’s a very strong chance that it’s you. Provided you’re agreeable.”

“I’ve held worse positions in my life,” Brian gasped out as his cock began to stir to life against Justin’s rear.

As the city around them came to life, the duo slowly teased each other’s passions to life. Lips and hands were only two of the tools they used to stir the other up. Back to front, they writhed against one another taunting, teasing and generally driving each other insane until Justin climbed off the chaise and turned around so that he could straddle Brian’s waist, rubbing their erections together.

While Justin was distracted with watching the way their cocks moved against one another, Brian sucked on two of his fingers, wetting them, then snuck them down along Justin’s spine and through his crack before finding the puckered opening that was capable of gripping him like a vice. As Brian slowly worked one then two fingers into his hole, stretching it in anticipation for what was to come. Brian slid his fingers out in preparation to add a third when Justin moved out of his grasp.

A strangled gasp erupted from deep in Brian’s chest as Justin moved back so that he had enough room to bend over and swallow the brunette’s cock. Brian immediately arched up off the chair, but before he could do it a second time, Justin’s hands found their way to his hips, holding him still. Brian began to moan almost continuously as Justin went to work lubricating his cock, his own hands finding their way into the blonde’s hair. Their normal lubricant was in the heavy stone box next to the pool and Brian had no problem with Justin’s quick fix.

All too soon, Brian felt himself beginning to tremble, a sure sign that his climax was near. Justin knew this as well and slowly dragged his lips up the entire length of Brian’s dick, wetting it all the way. Glad to be able to participate finally, Brian latched onto Justin’s hips as soon as they were close enough, guiding his lover back to him. 

“Hello again,” Brian grinned as Justin lifted himself so that his face was hovering over Brian’s.

“That dopey grin isn’t supposed to be there until after,” Justin smirked, leaning forward so that their foreheads and noses were pressed together. “Until then I expect only unintelligible moans and whimpers.”

Brian unwillingly complied to Justin’s orders as the artist took hold of his cock and maneuvered himself so that the tip was pressed to his hole. He let Justin go at his own pace, moaning loudly as the head of his cock slipped past the first ring of muscles. Justin moved slowly at first, lowering himself until he was once again sitting on Brian’s lap.

Once Justin began thrusting himself up and down Brian’s cock, the mobster straightened himself up so that he could once again reach his lover’s lips. It made things a little more awkward, but Brian wanted to maintain that connection. He wanted to be breathing the same air as Justin because even though it had been five months since that night he’d thought Justin had died, Brian still sometimes needed to assure himself that Justin was really there with him. Still breathing.

Before long, Justin was panting as Brian began to fist his cock. He rubbed the pad of his thumb over the slick head, swirling the pre-cum around and nudging the slit which had the blonde groaning loudly. Brian silenced the cries with his own lips, kissing Justin for all he was worth.

Somewhere along the line, time became a non-issue. Rather, neither one was able to pay it much heed as their senses became fuzzy to everything outside of each other. Kisses were sloppy, caresses uncoordinated and words little more than gasps and moans.

Rather than short and powerful, their climaxes were drawn out and all-consuming. For Brian, all of his senses pinpointed into a white haze. When he came out of it, he was leaning back against the raised part of the chaise, Justin sprawled overtop of him, tracing absent patterns on his hip.

“This is nice. We need to do this every morning,” Justin mumbled, his breath warm against Brian’s damp shoulder.

“We do do this every morning,” Brian reminded him, grinning into Justin’s tangled hair. “Several times a day when we can manage it.”

“I meant here. Right here,” Justin clarified, heaving himself upright with a drawn out groan. “This place is so perfect. And I know that we can’t stay here indefinitely, but can we please stay here as long as possible. Renaldo’s got sources in the city and Ben can keep us up to date on what’s going on back in the Pitts, but I want to stay here. You, me and Gus could be really happy here.”

“I know we could,” Brian agreed, reaching up to smooth Justin’s bangs away from his face. His hand then trailed down to cup the smaller man’s cheek and ran his thumb over Justin’s bottom lip. “And I would love nothing more than to stay here in Florence with you, but it really isn’t safe. At least not now. Maybe in a few years we can come back, but for now we can only afford a few more months here before it become dangerous.”

Justin nodded his head sadly and shifted slightly which caused Brian’s softening dick to slip from his hole. “Promise me that we’ll come back?”

“I promise,” Brian whispered, meaning it entirely. “We’ll come back.”

By the time Gus was up and running around an hour later, the pair had bathed and were dressed in newly made Italian suits. Brian knew that his son didn’t fully understand the significance of what was happening later in the morning except that he was the one who was in charge of the rings that his dads were giving to each other.

“Dadda, can we go climb the pyramids when we leave here?” Gus asked as he munched on a piece of toast.

“You want to climb the pyramids?” Brian repeated, wanting to be sure that he’d heard his son right. 

Gus nodded his head emphatically, practically bouncing up and down. “Yeah. Katherine bought me a book ‘bout Affika and there were pictures of these pyramids in them and she said that people sometimes climb them.”

Brian arched an eyebrow in the woman’s direction, but she simply shook her head and pointed to Renaldo, mouthing, “His idea.”

“What do you say, Justin?” Brian asked, turning to his lover who was standing beside him, smearing a piece of toast with grape jelly. “Do you feel like climbing some pyramids?”

“The two of you can climb them,” Justin informed them, shaking his head slightly. “I’ll just hide out under an umbrella and sketch the two of you.”

“Oh no,” Brian drawled, wrapping an arm around Justin’s shoulders and pulling the blonde against his side. “You’re following Gus and I up that pyramid. Isn’t he, Sonnyboy?”

“Yep!” Gus chirped, a wide grin on his face. “You can draw a picture from the top of the pyramid. It’ll be pretty.”

“But if I stay at the bottom, I can draw one of you and Dadda at the top,” Justin attempted to bribe the boy.

While the two adults watched, Gus seriously contemplated Justin’s proposition.

“Tell you what, Sonnyboy, how about you and Katherine go put your suit on while you figure out if Justin’s gonna climb the pyramid with us,” Brian suggested as he caught sight of the clock on the wall.

It was getting near the time when they had to leave for the church.

“‘Kay,” Gus agreed, sliding off his chair and taking off in the direction of his bedroom.

Once they were alone in the kitchen, Brian nudged Justin with his shoulder. “Egypt then?”

_The End_


End file.
